Blinded
by ssdawning
Summary: Seven years after the 2nd Wizarding War has ended, someone is terrorizing the Wizarding population in Britain. Half-blood and Pureblood children are being kidnapped. Will Hermione Granger and Draco Malfoy be able to work together to find the missing children? Maybe they'll find love along the journey. This angst filled drama will prove that love will find a way against all odds.
1. Chapter 1

**_{I really wasn't going to start this new story until I finished my other big story TCAT, but it attacked my brain and wouldn't leave, so here you have it. The Muse does what it wants to.}_**

**_This story will eventually be a Draco and Hermione romance, but there will be a lot of story leading up to that point. It will be full of angst, drama, and heartache. If you want a sweet fluffy romance where Draco and Hermione get together and fall in love quickly, then you better read another story. The characters may seem OOC and that's the way I like it. Things will turn out eventually, but if you've read my bigger stories before, you know I build things up slowly. Thanks and enjoy. _**

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Blinded: Chapter 1

**_The Night Before:_**

The woman woke in the dead of night when she heard her child screaming. Jumping out of bed, she dashed out of her bedroom and into her son's nursery. Skidding into his room, she came to a stop at seeing the wand pointed at her son's head while being held by a scruffy looking wizard in dirty and ripped clothing.

"Don't move or your son will die." The man held the woman's son in a tight grip as he wiggled around trying to free himself. "One small curse will snuff out his life in an instant." The man's filthy hands on her pure and clean little son wanted to make her vomit.

The woman knew what he said was true, and that he meant every word he said. His face showed no mercy, as he curled his lip into a sneer. Her small, vulnerable son started to cry out for her in his tiny voice, "Mum, he's hurting me." He reached out his hand towards her. Even though he was a few steps away from her, it might have well been meters.

The man only tightened his strong grip around the boy's neck, and the child's skin started changing colors as his airway was being cut off.

"Oh sweet Merlin…please let my child go." The tears flowed freely from her eyes as she saw her toddler son being choked slowly to death. She desperately tried to think of something to do, but felt helpless knowing any small move could result in her son being killed.

Her small movement forward was hardly noticeable until she lunged for the large man. Throwing the child to the side, his wand came up, "Avada Kadvra" and the curse shot towards the woman and she fell lifeless at his feet. The small child tried to run towards his mum, but was swooped up in the man's arms, silenced, and thrown onto a broom and they flew out of the large nursery window.

The dead body of the woman, eyes open and her face set in shock, was left in the silent nursery surrounded by too many toys and no child left to play with them.

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**_The Next Morning_**

Down in level two, in the Ministry of Magic is the department of Magical Law Enforcement. Around the corner from the access lift, and past a set of heavy oak doors, lies the Auror Headquarters. Within the Auror Headquarters is a large auditorium with a capacity to hold over 200 people that would consist of the members of the department of Magical Law Enforcement. Rarely was this room ever used, until today.

The many witches and wizards came into the room chatting and talking about what had happened over the weekend. Ron Weasley kicked back, his very large feet on the chair in front of him, as he chatted up Seamus Finnegan about the latest win of the Chudley Cannons Quidditch match the night before. The two men had been Auror partners ever since Harry Potter had been made the Head Auror of the department. Ron missed being partnered with Harry, but he felt the pressure was off of him now not having to live up to the standards of being assigned cases with Harry Potter-The Boy Who Lived and now was a national War Hero.

Many of the former Dumbledore's Army members were now working in the Department of Magical Law Enforcement. Some had become Aurors, others had become Hit Wizards who were a magical SWAT team, some worked for the Investigation Department, while others were members of the Magical Law Enforcement Patrol, who functioned very much like the Muggle Police. Only Neville Longbottom worked outside of this building, as a professor of Herbology at Hogwarts. He'd had his fill of fighting dark wizards and wanted some peace in his life.

None of them spoke about why they all had been called there this morning. They all had an idea of what this would be about, but it had never involved all of them meeting together to discuss it. So they proceeded to talk about nonsensical things, with no real concern for those topics and ignore the huge elephant in the room.

The chatter came to a halt when Head Auror Potter walked in and stood at the head of the room. His looks had not changed much in the seven years since he had killed the monster known as Lord Voldemort. His unruly black hair still stood on end. He still wore his same round, glasses, but he had grown another three inches. He was now a confident man in charge of one of the largest and most important organizations in the Wizarding World.

"If I could please have your attention. This meeting needs to come to order." His voice echoed throughout the large auditorium.

"As you may all know, this entire department has been working on a very difficult case the past two years. With no great success, but with much dedicated effort from all of you; we have not solved this case. In fact, we're not even close to solving it."

The whole of the room shifted uncomfortably in their seats. They knew how hard it was to admit failure, especially when it involved children. With the magical population just starting to rise after the war, because of the many "post-war marriages", it had excited them all to see so many new babies entering their world. So when magical children born to Half Bloods and Pureblooded parents started to be kidnapped, it threw the newly calm society into a panic.

"Minister Shacklebolt feels it is in the best interest of our world and this department, to turn the heading of this case over to someone who has the means to hopefully finally crack it. Everyone in this room will answer to this person, and you will fully be following their lead." Quiet whispers ran through the room as Harry finished speaking. Who was better than Harry Potter to lead this case?

The back door to the room opened and the sound of heels, click clacking on the tiles was all that could be heard. Ron groaned in his seat, and slid further down as he stared at the woman walking by in her black tight, slim pencil skirt, and form fitting, red silk shirt. Her legs, with firm calves were encased in a pair of fashionable, four-inch heeled stilettos. Her hair was swept up in a tight chignon, with only a few whispers of curls falling down to frame her face.

When she made it to the front of the auditorium, she whirled around, holding a clipboard in her arms and a determined look on her face.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, let me introduce to you, our newly appointed boss, Hermione Granger, Deputy Head of the division of Magical Law Enforcement." A polite round of applause could be heard amongst the room. Many felt in shock and awe, as they hadn't seen nor heard from Hermione Granger for the last seven years. She had been off somewhere to train and even her closest friends hadn't been aware of the location. After the war, her brief romance with Ronald Weasley had ended badly. Hermione had left the country and ended all contact with her friends.

Now those who had been closest to her didn't know how to respond to her sudden presence. Harry Potter was being detached, but professional, while Ron Weasley was timidly trying to melt into his seat. He knew he had been 90% to blame for her having gone away and leaving their lives. Ron had so shaken up the confidence of the plain and brainy bookworm that when he broke up with her, there had been nothing else for Hermione to do but run away from the trio and Wizarding England. Now she was back, and there was nothing left of the low confident, bushy haired and very plain witch. Somewhere along the way she had found her own self-worth and beauty. Her self-assured air as she walked into the room plainly showed she was not intimidated by anyone in that room, including her former boyfriend.

Harry, always the gentleman, turned towards her, took her hand in his, shook it and bowed his head, "Welcome back to England Ms. Granger. It'll be a pleasure to work with you again." Anyone who had gone to school with the trio looked at this quite awkward situation. Instead of two close friends hugging each other after a seven-year absence, there was a casual display of common courtesy instead.

"Thank you so much Auror Potter for that kind welcome." Hermione nodded back to him. The rest of the audience sat staring at the strange "dance" happening in front of them. Whatever had occurred five years ago had not only broken up Hermione and Ron's relationship, but it had also hindered the friendship between Harry and Hermione.

Hermione, now wearing make-up and dark red lipstick, faced the crowd of 200 plus people and cleared her throat. "As you are aware, in the past two years our world has been facing a tragedy of the kidnapping and disappearance of eight half-blood and pureblooded children, ranging between the ages of one-year and nine years respectively."

The lights went off and a screen came down where the faces of the eight children were displayed. "This department has found no trace of the children. You've found no blood, no bodies or clothing scraps have been recovered at any of the scenes. We hopefully can assume that they are all still alive." Even though Hermione was stating the facts, the whole of the room felt guilty at not being able to recover even one of the children.

"From left to right in the order of their disappearance we have three-year old Matilda Goldstein, daughter of Anthony and Patricia Goldstein, and next there is one year old Vincent Goyle son of Gregory and Millicent Goyle." Seeing the beautiful and innocent faces of the children was making some of the tender hearted people in the room weep. As the other six slides came up showing the other six missing children, the mood in the room became even more somber.

"As of last night we have one more child to add to this list." A picture of a pale, blond headed child with grey eyes filled the screen. Gasps could be heard throughout the room, as the child was easily identifiable as a Malfoy.

"This is two-year old Scorpius Draco Malfoy. He was taken from his nursery at Malfoy Manor last night approximately around 2:00 a.m." Hermione looked out to the bodies around the room and could see the looks of shock on most faces. How could someone as famous and prestigious as a Malfoy child have become a victim? Malfoy Manor was known to be protected by unbreakable blood wards. How could anyone have broken into a fortress such as Malfoy Manor?

"To make this case even more difficult, Scorpius was not the only victim. His mother, Astoria Greengrass Malfoy, was found in the nursery murdered by an Unforgivable Curse. We now are investigating a homicide, thus why the whole department is now involved in this case and why I'm now in charge."

The lights went up and all 200 people stared at Hermione's stern face. She walked back and forth making eye contact with as many people as she could. Those sitting closest to him caught the shooting glare she sent towards Ron. He could only tuck his head down and not meet her eyes in return. What had happened between the two of them to create such animosity in Hermione Granger to her former boyfriend?

Ron looked up at Harry to get his attention, but found Harry staring at Hermione puzzled by her behavior and sudden return to England. To make matters worse, she was nothing like she had been, looks or otherwise when she had left seven years ago. The trio had truly fallen apart at the seams.

"Are there any questions?" Hermione looked out at all of the curious faces staring back at her. All she wanted to do was go to the privacy of her office and get away from her former friends. She came back here to solve a difficult case, and maybe even prove her worth to those whom she'd left behind. The last thing she wanted now was to become entangled in any relationships. She had liked being free to date and sleep with anyone she wanted without expectations. In fact, her latest lover was waiting for her back in Paris holding for her swift return. Maybe she'd head back on the weekend for some needed rest and relaxation.

Realizing that everyone was still watching her as she daydreamed, she dismissed the group. "The meeting is adjourned, but all of you need to stay on high alert. Also, be ready for some changes in how things will be run from this day forward."

Ron grumbled to the others sitting by him, "Great! It's going to be Hermione the Terror of Organization in which we do it her way or no way. She drove us all around the bend getting ready for our NEWT's."

Up at the front of the room, Hermione glared at Ron as if she'd heard every word he'd said. Getting this case solved quickly had suddenly become top priority of everyone in the room, and all for different reasons.

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**_That is the end of chapter one. I hope that it has peaked your interest enough to hang around and read this story. I can assure you that this will be a good story with a decent plot/storyline and a romance will blossom along the way. As always, your reviews are appreciated and you always amaze me at your insight and help me know of your interest in any story I write. That's all for now._**


	2. Chapter 2

**_Thanks to everyone that is now following the story! Thanks to the few reviewers also. I hope to hear back from more of you! I already had this written so I thought I'd put it up today. As promised, Draco will be in this chapter. Hope you like it!_**

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**_Blinded: Chapter 2_**

As the meeting was finished, Hermione went to pick up her papers and clipboard. A hand on her arm stopped her departure. Looking up, Harry stood there waiting for a response from her. Hermione wasn't sure how she wanted to handle this uncomfortable situation.

"Would you please stay a minute so we can talk?" Harry stepped closer to her while she stepped back in a self-protective move. Her eyes belayed the turmoil she was feeling at his presence. Looking into his familiar, green eyes didn't help matters at all. She looked down at his hand that was still lying on her arm. His eyes strayed to where hers landed, and he quickly removed his hand as if he'd been burnt.

"I'm really busy Auror Potter and have many things to do to get this…"

"Stop this Auror Potter shit Hermione! I'm Harry and I've always been Harry to you."

The pain on his face only made Hermione want to leave even faster. She wasn't ready for a confrontation at the moment. Hermione wasn't sure that she would be ready tomorrow, a month from now, or even a year. She hadn't planned on how she would handle the personal things that went along with her return to England. She was ready for the challenge of this job. In fact, she had recently cracked one of the largest child kidnapping and child smuggling cases to ever hit France and Germany, Muggle or Wizard, in the past 20 years.

Minister Kingsley Shacklebolt had kept an eye on Hermione Granger ever since she had left Wizarding England; he had been most disappointed to lose such a bright, and brilliant witch to another country. Her perfect NEWT scores had been the ticket so that she could enter any program, in any country. So when the chance came for him to assign a new Deputy of Magical Law Enforcement, he didn't hesitate to go and woo her, grovel at her feet, and beg Hermione to take the job. He had felt and seen her hesitancy about returning. Kingsley didn't know what had happened that had caused Hermione to run from England, but he did know that her home country needed her now. After showing her the pictures of the missing children and how nothing was being accomplished in the case, he knew Hermione would be unable to refuse the job, along with the very huge increase in pay and prestige that the job would bring her. Also, mentioning that the current head of The Magical Law Enforcement would be retiring in a few years, and naturally Hermione would move into that position of power, also motivated her to accept the position and this case.

"Not now Harry…" her eyes plead with him to drop it. Trying to stand tall she started to walk down the stairs when Harry's voice stopped her.

"If not now, when Hermione? You can't keep avoiding all of us forever, even though you've done a fine job of it the past seven years." The hurt in his voice came through as he ended.

He walked down the stairs past her and then turned around, "Not sure if you knew, but I'm a dad with two boys, James and Albus. Everyone says they look a lot like me. No red heads yet to Ginny's dismay." Harry tried to smile, but stopped at the attempt when he saw Hermione wasn't going to respond to him. "It's a scary time to have children right now." The circles under his eyes and his drawn eyebrows showed his worry and concern for his own young sons.

"I'm glad that you're back and I hope you can help us find the bastard that's taking our children." He gave her a strained smile, then turned and left the room with slumped shoulders looking down at the floor.

Hermione took a deep breath and gave a great sigh, not happy at her lack of courage in facing her friends right now. She thanked the Gods that Ron hadn't stayed to try and talk to her too. She was afraid that she wouldn't have been able to restrain herself from hexing him. It was too soon and this case was going to take all of her time and energy, especially now that a homicide was included in the stakes. Heaven help her that it had to be Draco Malfoy's wife that had been murdered. She'd have to head there in a few hours to question the man about his whereabouts last night, and frankly she wasn't thrilled about seeing her old school nemesis again; she hoped that she'd never ever had too either. Damn that this had happened, or she may have changed her mind about returning to England.

Her hand went up to rub her temples, as a raging headache was pounding into her skull right now. Frowning, she gave another sigh and trudged towards her new office to prepare for this afternoon's interview.

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Hermione was so nervous about going to Malfoy Manor and interviewing Draco that she'd completely forgotten to eat lunch. Now with not eating, it only intensified the upset she felt in the pit of her stomach. Closing her eyes and taking a calming breath, she went over the list of questions that she had previously written down.

Hermione tried to shove down the feelings of insecurity that were always there when she had to confront Malfoy. She'd always obsessed over the many flaws that he'd always brought out front and center to mock her about. She knew she was probably overthinking this and that he would be too distraught to even want to torment her today. Hermione vowed that she wouldn't act skittish around the man. Look at how far she had come the past five years. Look at the position she now held. Granted, Malfoy also held a high position at the Ministry as the head of the Department of International Magical Cooperation. Most people said he'd vied for this position so he could control and set the standards for trade in the magical world. After all, he still was the President of Malfoy Industries, since his father was still locked up in Azkaban. He apparently would do anything to make all of his business deals work in his favor.

Her thoughts were interrupted when her office door opened and in walked Harry Potter. He stood at the door, cleared his throat, and visibly blushed at catching her ruminating.

"Are you ready to go…Hermione?" he asked tucking his hands behind his elbows. He was still treading lightly after his earlier conversation with her.

She went to run her hands through her hair, and then hesitated as she realized her hair was up today. Harry could still recognize that as one of her nervous habits. With the many reasons to be nervous, going back to Malfoy Manor the first time since the war when Bellatrix tortured her, and then to interview their arch nemesis, it was no wonder that both of them were acting a bit restless.

Shaking out her hands, she reached towards her desk and picked up a file that she put into her briefcase. "Let's be off then. I do not want to be late for the interview."

Hermione swept past Harry not making eye contact with him leaving him alone in her office. He sighed, rolled his shoulders hearing a cracking sound from his back, and went to catch up with his long lost friend. He made sure to shut and lock her office door on the way out.

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Apparating to Malfoy Manor was the easy part; but walking up to the main door felt like walking through sludge. The high, manicure yew hedge borders still grew along the driveway on both sides. The perfectly straight driveway ran all of the way up to the main front door. The ornate wrought-iron gates had been left open for their arrival with two house elves standing guard. Hermione sniffed at the sight of them. Even now, the Malfoys still had house elves at their beck and call. They pointed ahead to the door, "The Master awaits you inside Mr. Potter and Ms. Granger."

Interesting Hermione thought, Malfoy already knew about her new promotion. But just as his father, Lucius always had his hands in everything at the Ministry; it appeared that now Draco did too.

As they got to the door, Harry rubbed his hands down the sides of his trousers and then he massaged the back of his neck. He then scraped his hands through his hair about three times. Hermione stood there watching Harry go through all of his nervous habits, and realized that she wasn't the only one showing signs of anxiety about returning to Malfoy Manor. If the Ministry had picked the two most unlikely and unwilling people to go interview Draco Malfoy, they couldn't have done any better than Harry Potter and Hermione Granger. Unfortunately because of the positions they held, they were indeed the two that had to go do this task, willing or not.

The door opened with another elf to greet them. "Please enter and follow me." They both eyed the door and Harry extended his arm motioning for Hermione to go first; while she glared at him like it was his fault, sighed and walked through. When both were in, Hermione turned back around to look at the main door as if to memorize where the exit was.

To the chagrin of both, the house elf led them through the main entrance hall and towards the main drawing room. Hermione recognized it for what it was because her many nightmares had taken her there again and again where her torture had taken place. Either Malfoy was trying to make a point, or in his grief he hadn't thought about the implications of bringing Harry and Hermione back into this same room where years ago they both had almost been killed.

Inside the house it was no different from years ago, but was still sumptuously decorated, with a magnificent carpet and ornate, and gilded furnishings. The aura of the room felt better, with the Dark Magic having been cleared out after Voldemort's fall.

As they entered the room, they saw Draco Malfoy standing in front of a large window that looked out onto the vast grounds of the manor. He didn't turn around when he heard them come into the room.

"Master, I've brought Mr's Harry Potter and Ms.'s Hermione Granger to meet with you." Still Malfoy made no sign of hearing the elf or acknowledging their presence. Harry and Hermione found a spot to sit down on the closest settee. "Would you like something to drink?" the elf inquired. Hermione shook her head no and Harry gave a quiet, "No thank you." The elf left with a superior huff, and Hermione grinned that even the house elves at Malfoy Manor thought they were grand and more special than other house elves.

Hermione stared at Draco Malfoy, now grown up and living in a mature mans body. He definitely had not looked this way the last time she had seen him seven years ago. He was taller, but still lean with broad shoulders and the sleeves of his black silk shirt fit tight over his muscular arms. His gray trousers fit nicely outlining his very shapely, but trim arse. He was still very handsome, at least what she could see of his face with his silky blond hair that he now wore freely without any gel, which swept over his eyes. He was still impeccably groomed even with what had happened to his family hours ago.

Harry followed her gaze, as she couldn't take her eyes from the fit man. He tried not to grin at the way Hermione was lasciviously staring at him. Hermione caught Harry staring at her as she was gawking at Malfoy. She gave a small huff sitting up straight, and leaned back crossing her legs, which shifted her skirt up several centimeters. Hermione looked over at Harry whose eyes were fixated on her now very exposed thighs. Glaring at him she turned her head towards Malfoy.

"Did you come to conduct an interview or to stare at one another?" the familiar voice drawled in the way that only Malfoy could. His trademark sneer was still there which should have put them at ease, as it was something so recognizable from their school days at Hogwarts.

His eyes centered onto Hermione, as they wandered from her face, down her red silk blouse, to the very enticing legs that only moments ago Harry Potter had been staring at. His face showed no sign of emotion as he perused her figure. The only thing she could see in his eyes was coldness and indifference; nothing had changed through the years.

Trying to gain control of the situation, Hermione stood up, trying not to wobble in her 4-inch heels. She wasn't going to let him have the advantage of looking down on them. Harry instantly jumped up seeing what Hermione was playing at and followed suit.

"Mr. Malfoy, we are here to look at the scene where the incident took place. We also need to ask you some questions about your whereabouts last night."

Draco brushed by her, slightly nudging her arm as he walked over to the liquor cabinet. He poured himself a glass of Fire Whiskey and downed it quickly. One could see it burned on the way down, but he tried not to show the effects.

"Are you sure you didn't want anything? It might help the both of you, seeing that you are still as uptight as you ever were." Harry's pinched expression and clenched jaws showed his annoyance at Malfoy's comment.

"Malfoy, we are not here to drink and I'd rather you not be drinking now either." Hermione couldn't help sounding bossy and Malfoy didn't respond well to it.

"You are in my house and I'll not have you dictate what I do or not do." He slammed down his glass, refilling it with another shot of whiskey. Downing his drink, he then slammed his glass down again.

Harry rushed to his side, "Malfoy, we are here to help you, but we can't do that if you are drunk."

"That's very touching Potter." Malfoy grabbed his chest over his heart. "Why don't you fuck off? Why don't the both of you fuck off!" he swayed where he stood, and Harry grabbed his arm leading him towards a chair. Both Harry and Hermione had seen behavior like this at crime scenes while talking to the survivors. Either they cried their eyes out, sat in shock or lashed out in anger. Hermione had expected that Malfoy would be in the anger phase.

"May we see the nursery?" Hermione asked softly, trying to leave her bossy sounding voice behind.

Malfoy's eyes turned to her, looking at her heels and moving his head up to her face. "You've grown up Granger. In fact you're quite tall now." His words baited her, but she remained calm. "Oh no, it's only those high heels making you look tall. But the rest of you…" his hands motioned to her breasts and he made the actions of feeling her up, "have grown up too." Hermione's face flushed at his words and her body froze in place.

Harry stepped between Hermione and Malfoy, "If you won't take us to the nursery, would you please have one of your house elves take us?"

Malfoy shook his head in disgust. Pulling himself up, he wrinkled his nose and gestured with his hand, "Follow me."

Hermione looked at Harry who motioned for her to go first. They followed Malfoy up to the second floor and past several rooms with closed doors. Who knew how many rooms were truly in the manor? She wasn't going to be asking Malfoy anytime soon.

Malfoy kept stopping as they walked up the stairs and she got an eyeful of Malfoy's behind. It was hard not to ogle his fine arse being that it was right in front of her face. She blushed thinking of how unprofessional she'd been so far here, and they'd only been here ten minutes.

They finally came to the end of the long hallway, where Malfoy reached out hesitantly and turned the knob. The door swung open to reveal a huge room that obviously was his son's nursery. It was filled with stuffed animals, toy brooms, a set of small Quidditch robes…everything that any small wizard would love to have. There was a picture painted on the wall of a seeker on a broom, which looked very much like Malfoy as a teen, whom was chasing the golden snitch reaching out to catch it. Harry looked up at it with his own sneer on his face. She could almost read his mind thinking that it should have been a picture of Harry catching the snitch with Malfoy glaring behind him as he did. That would have shown the truth from their school days.

Hermione noticed Harry looking around the room, but couldn't quite pin what he was feeling as he catalogued what he saw in the room. She wondered what the rooms looked like where Harry's sons lived. Had he bought his sons the same toys? He had enough money that he could buy them as much as Malfoy had bought his child, but she doubted that Harry would be so extravagant.

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Malfoy walked over to a large, canopy bed, with Slytherin green sheets and spread. How typical of the Slytherins, to decorate their son's room in the house colors they expected their son to someday be sorted in.

His hands reached out to grab a large, red stuffed dragon that lay on the pillow. He sat on the bed and brought it up to his chest and hugged it. It was the first sign of any sorrow that the man had shown since they had gotten there. Hermione almost felt they were invading a very private moment, but she thought she had gotten used to that feeling and fought against letting her emotions take over.

"Malfoy, where were you last night when your son was taken and your wife was murdered" the question came out cold and harsh, but they needed some answers now.

He looked up with a scowl, flexing his hands and arm muscles while tossing the dragon back onto the bed. He stood suddenly and rushed into her face, "I wasn't here. I was in France." His lips curled and she could see the veins pulsing on his forehead. "I wasn't here to protect my family and the cowards came and killed my wife and stole my son."

His pale skin turned red as he gritted his teeth, and he held his arms to his side as if he wanted to punch someone. "What are you going to do to find out who took my son?" his voice wailed in distress. He reached out with both hands grabbing Hermione's arms, shaking her, until Hermione's teeth were rattling in her head.

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**_That was a nice long chapter that I hope will satisfy you for a bit. Please leave a review. I'm almost done with chapter 3, but I'm also working on my big story TCAT that is in the finally few chapters. Ciao! _**


	3. Chapter 3

**_Thanks for all of the insightful reviews and the new follows!_**

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**_Blinded: Chapter 3_**

**_Last time…_** _His pale _skin_ turned red as he gritted his teeth, and he held his arms to his side as if he wanted to punch someone. "What are you going to do to find out who took my son?" his voice wailed in distress. He reached out with both hands grabbing Hermione's arms, shaking her, until Hermione's teeth were rattling in her head._

Harry tried prying Malfoy's hands off of Hermione. She knew she would have bruises the next morning. Harry flicked his wand out, shouting a spell that sent Malfoy back onto his son's bed.

Hermione tried to gain back her composure as she walked to the other side of the room. Taking a deep breath and letting it out slowly seemed to slow down her out of control heartbeat. She'd never had someone attack her while conducting an interview. She rubbed her arms where Malfoy's hands had gripped her digging into her flesh. What was happening to her professional world where she couldn't even handle a mere interview? This had never happened, ever, in her career.

She kept her back to both men as she tried to control the tears that were threatening to fall from her eyes. Not only was she in pain, but also this whole scenario was for some reason getting to her. She had interviewed many parents of kidnapped children in France and Germany…but she had not known any of them personally. She had never felt so emotionally tied to any of the victims or their parents. Why now with Malfoy was she letting feelings into play? Maybe it was just coming back to England in the first place? Maybe it was being here at the manor, where nightmares still haunted her at night of being pinned down in the drawing room under Bellatrix and the Cruciatus curse? Time felt like it had stopped as Malfoy had shaken her senseless. Her stomach churned as she once again tried to control her accelerated breathing.

Looking down at her feet, she noticed the remains of a broken lamp that had not been cleaned up. There was also one tiny dragon slipper left in the room. The other one was probably still with Malfoy's son. Just imagining that little two-year-old boy in the company of some killer made her ill. It was never easy dealing with cases like this, knowing how innocent these children were and caught up in some crazy adult's game.

"So Malfoy, you didn't fully answer our questions, where were you exactly last night while your…the incidents took place?" Harry circled back to Malfoy holding his hands behind his back.

"I told you Potter, France. Were you not listening?" Malfoy spat back at him.

"France is a big place, do you think you could try to be more specific?"

Hermione saw the tension in Harry's face with his jaw muscles pulsing, and could hear the impatience in his voice. She knew that this interview would not be an easy one, but it was turning out worse that she had predicted.

Malfoy sat back down on his son's bed, holding the toy dragon in a tight grip. "I was there on ministry business Potter. Why not floo my secretary for my agenda?" His eyes did not leave the red dragon as he smoothed down the plush fur. His hands were set in a rhythm that seemed to calm the man.

Harry was now pacing round and round the nursery. He looked like a kettle about ready to boil over. Hermione had known Harry long enough to see the determined look in his eye to get some answers, here and now.

Malfoy's eyes were turned downward trying to ignore Harry and his questions. He also seemed to be ignoring the frantic Auror who was wearing a hole in the nursery floor. It was as if Malfoy was doing whatever possible to make Harry come unglued.

Hermione stood with her back to the window observing both men. Nothing had changed since their Hogwarts days. They both still hated each other with a passion. There was no trust or even a willingness to work together. She gave an internal sigh wishing that she had brought anyone other than Harry with her today. With him being the head Auror it had been a natural choice, but her gut feeling had been that this would not work.

"When did you get back Malfoy? Who found your wife's body?" The questions seemed to fly from him in an accusatory sting. He hovered by Scorpius Malfoy's bed trying to get some reaction out of the distracted man, who still was fixated on his son's toy dragon.

"Why are you asking the same questions that I've already answered?" his voice sounding like that of his irritating 11- year- old poncy self. "It was those other people from your irritating department that have already asked. Go bother them." Draco's head fell back onto the large pillow lying on the bed. His eyes closed as if hoping that Harry Potter would disappear. If she hadn't known Draco Malfoy previously, she'd be quite suspicious of his behavior in trying to stall the investigation, especially in his son's behalf.

"Are you even listening to me? Hermione what should…"

Harry wasn't able to finish his sentence before Malfoy jumped off of the bed. He nudged Hermione out of the way to open up the window, and a cool breeze wafted in. He took a deep breath as if willing the air to help him function better. He seemed to becoming unglued around the edges and she wasn't sure what was happening in this room.

Hermione walked over to Harry mouthing for him to let up a bit. Harry only shook his head and glared at her. "Those were members of the investigation department just taking in all of the details, we're here for more specifics about the why's of this case." Harry tried outlining for Malfoy why they were there like the pureblood was a halfwit.

Malfoy turned around clapping his hands, "Bravo for you Potter that you actually know what you are supposed to be doing here. Is that why Granger is here? You still can't do anything without the brains of your group telling you how to do your job?"

Harry rushed at him, grabbing his shirt in his hands and slamming him into the wall, "You piece of shit! We're here to try and find out who killed your wife and took your son. Don't you even care?" The kettle had now boiled over, and was spilling over the sides burning everything in its pathway.

Malfoy started to laugh maniacally and shoved Harry away, smoothing down the wrinkles now found on his shirt. "It's still so easy to work you up Potter." His famous sneer directed Harry's way only made him angrier.

"Do you think this is all a game Malfoy? For someone who lost their family last night you're not acting too aggrieved because of it." Hermione flinched inside wondering whether it was time to intervene now or let the two men hammer this out between the two of them. It was about time it finally happened, even under the horrible circumstances.

"No, Potter, this is not a game to me." Now Malfoy was turning red-faced and shouting in Harry's face. "It wasn't you that came back, late last night to check on your son, and find your wife stone, cold dead." He walked over to the part of the floor that still glowed around his wife's body shape where she'd been found.

He looked down at the shape, following the outline with his eyes. "I took one look at her eyes and recognized the Avada Kadvra curse. Open…staring at nothing…the look of shock…"

"Well if anyone recognized that curse it would be…" Hermione jumped over to Harry before he could finish his sentence. She pushed him back from Malfoy.

He looked up with an intense and fevered stare, "Of course the Death Eater would know all about the Avada Kadvra, right Potter? Is that what you were going to say before your girlfriend stopped you?" he finished with a scathing tone.

He yelled at Harry who now who was standing behind Hermione. Malfoy was trying to get around her to lunge out to Harry, his feet planted wide in a fighting stance. Harry was cracking his knuckles and rolling up his sleeves ready to fight. Hermione was amazed that no wands had been drawn, and that both men were ready to fight the Muggle way. She put her hands on both men's chest, "You both stop this… right now. Time out!" She gave them a push from each side, her pounding heartbeat trying to rip open her chest.

With a low growl from Malfoy and a "Bloody Ferret" from Harry, both men stalked off in different directions that allowed Hermione to catch her breath. This could have been a Muggle boxing match from any casual Muggle observer.

Malfoy came stalking back, and Hermione crossed her arms against her chest standing up straight. "You don't get it Potter, coming home and not having your son here. You have sons, what if it was you?" The anger was now gone and the grief and frustration was coming out. He rocked forward on his toes and rubbed the back of his neck.

He stared intensely at Harry, "You do know your boys aren't safe?" It almost came out in a whisper.

"Are you threatening them Malfoy?" Harry's body tensed up and he curled his lips.

"No you fool! You are a Half Blood and your little wife is a Pureblood, despite her being a Weasley." He swatted at the air trying to make his point.

"Don't you think this hasn't crossed my mind every day the past two years? That's why I'm here. I'm doing this for your son and mine." Harry reached up to rub where his faded scar resided, his agitation showing.

Harry looked around the room at the Quidditch picture on the wall, to the bed with the dragon lying on its side and down to the outline of Astoria's body. Looking up to meet Hermione's eyes he swallowed and said, "I need to go. Are you OK finishing this up?"

Hermione nodded, "Go home to Ginny and your boys." Harry nodded at her and glanced angrily once more to Malfoy and left the room. The silence was deafening, as Hermione and Malfoy stood silently not moving for several minutes after Harry left.

"Don't you have a husband and kids to go home to?" Malfoy looked at her questioning, as if he'd just noticed that she was still in his house.

"Stop the bullshit Malfoy. You know I'm not married, nor do I have any children." It irritated her more to have to admit that out loud, than even the true realization that she wasn't married with children. Hermione noticed the slight sneer Malfoy was giving her.

"You who has your nose in every aspect of the ministry knows that I haven't been in England the past seven years." Hermione's arms were still crossed in front in a move of self-protection. It seemed that was all she'd been doing since arriving at Malfoy Manor.

Malfoy strutted over standing in front of her. His eyes kept raking over her figure. He wasn't as tall when she wore her high heels, but he still stood inches above her. "Maybe you have a secret husband that you have stocked away back in France or Germany." His eyebrows wagged at her. Her dirty look back to him only made him grin wider.

"Why don't you go and play Auntie to Potter's kids then." His shifting moods were hard to keep up with, but typical in this kind of situation.

Hermione took a deep breath and sighed, "I've never even met them Malfoy. They wouldn't know me from you." With great sadness, the words cut through her soul like a knife.

Shaking off her gloomy thoughts, she tried to grab onto her calm, professional look and addressed Malfoy. "I'll be back tomorrow afternoon to continue questioning." Her eyes and words trying to challenge him back.

Malfoy raised one eyebrow, "Oh goody. I can't wait," he deadpanned. "Only if you don't bring back that irritating friend of yours."

Hermione shook her head, "No, just me. Aren't you lucky?" She gave him a false smile, and with great relief, walked out of the nursery as fast as she could.

As she headed to the stairs she heard him mutter, "Stupid Know-It-All Gryffindor".

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**_Somewhere in Ireland_**

"Tell me again why you felt the need to kidnap one more brat?" the heavyset man looked at his now frustrated companion.

"We needed this one…it's a Malfoy." The taller man tried to ignore the cries of the children that were being kept in cages throughout the large storehouse. It smelled almost as bad as if they were caging wild animals. One house elf was trying its best to take care of all of the children, but was having a hard time keeping up with the task.

"It's time to start forward with the rest of our plan. Some of these brats have been here for two years." The first man flopped down on an old sofa decorated with large, yellow flowers.

"It was vital to our plan to increase the fear in those, back in England." The taller man walked over to the newest catch, Scorpius Malfoy. "This ones pretty like his father." He poked the child with his wand. Scorpius scurried over to the farthest side of his cage away from the man, kicking off his one dragon slipper that had been left on his foot. Scorpius curled up in a ball and started sucking his thumb. The man walked away laughing.

"Why did you have to bollock it all up by killing this ones mum? We never planned to kill anyone." The man on the sofa pointed to Scorpius.

"I've changed my mind and you best be rid of your attitude. Things are only going to heat up from here on out." The tall man called out for a house elf that had been taking care of one of the kidnapped children. "I need my regular drink…now!" His loud tone made the elf jump and quickly run off to obey.

Yes, it was time for the second stage of his plan and he was eager to get started. They would never know what hit them in a few days. Keeping the Ministry, the public and especially the parents of the children unbalanced would only keep things in his favor.

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**_Yikes! That made my blood chill. These men are not nice people, as you will soon find out. So, what did you think of the interaction between Draco and Hermione? I almost felt bad for Harry and what I was putting him through. Please, please review and let me know you thoughts. Thanks!_**


	4. Chapter 4

_**Thanks to the guest reviews, Emmastew, Honoria Granger, Slytheringal and all of the new follows to my story. It's exciting to see people liking this new story floating out of my brain. **_

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_**Blinded: Chapter 4**_

Hermione woke up after a restless night of sleep. It had taken her a few hours to finally drift off. This case, and more specifically Draco Malfoy, would not leave her mind. The whole time at Malfoy Manor had baffled her. Why had Malfoy been acting so strange? Did this have anything to do with the case or was he just kind of peculiar now? Or had he always been that way and she'd never been able to look past his bigotry to notice his weirdness?

Hermione tripped into the shower and turned up the heat. It felt so good to stand there and try to wake up her mind and body. She needed the hot water to relax her tight muscles. She used her favorite shampoo and conditioner that smelled of coconuts and mango. After staying there as long as she could without turning too pruny looking, she turned off the water.

Putting on her white, fluffy bathrobe she walked into her closet to choose something to wear that day. Hermione loved her huge walk in closet. She had turned into somewhat of a clotheshorse after living in France for seven years. The huge closet could fit all of the outfits she had purchased while living in Paris.

She flitted from one outfit to another. Should she wear another skirt? Or had that been distracting for her and Malfoy yesterday with so much leg showing? Maybe it would be better to wear one of her pantsuits that tended to hide her curves. That would be more professional, especially since she would be going by herself today to continue the interview. But why should she want to hide her curves from Malfoy?

Hermione plopped down in the middle of her closet sitting cross-legged. She was a little disgusted with herself that she even cared about what she should wear today. Since when did she care what Draco Malfoy thought about what she wore? Easy answer…since yesterday. She hung her head down and growled out loud.

"I'm so crazy to even care. Why would he even care about what I'm wearing? His wife was just murdered. Get it together Hermione. He's not going to be interested in another woman so soon, especially since it's you." Sometimes she loved to talk out loud to herself as if someone was really listening. She felt like she problem solved much better this way.

She jumped up and walked over to her black pantsuit and yanked it off of the hanger. She chose a boring white blouse to wear with it. Then she selected an ugly pair of two-inch heels, which would at least be comfortable. In the back of her mind she knew that she was sabotaging the girlish side of her that wanted to look nice when she went back for the interview. But with her new position at the ministry, she needed to set a precedence of professionalism. The only reason that she had worn the tight black skirt and form fitting silk shirt yesterday, was she had known that Ron would be there. She had wanted to knock his socks off and realize what he had given up seven years ago. In a way it would only make him look foolish. She hadn't had time to go and change her outfit and why would she have needed to.

All of this thinking was giving her an early morning headache. Eating a quick breakfast of porridge, tea and toast she was ready to head into work. She wanted to write down some notes before she went to continue her interview with Draco. She wasn't going to let him get away with the behavior he'd displayed with Harry yesterday.

Speaking of Harry, she needed to stop and talk with him about his thoughts on what happened during the interview. She had her gut feelings, but wanted to get Harry's take on things. Harry had owled her early to say he was taking the day off today. She'd rolled her eyes when Harry's new owl had tapped at her window with his message. She would have expected this kind of thing from Ron, but not Harry. His altercation with Malfoy yesterday had affected him more than she'd realized.

Grabbing her briefcase she left her town-home and apparated away to Grimauld Place.

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Harry had hoped to be able to sleep in a little longer, but with two active boys, that never seemed to happen. Somehow both boys had ended up climbing into bed with Harry and rolling over the top of him. Their giggling had woken him up before the actual motions they were making. He acted like he was asleep then reached out and grabbed a boy in each arm. Their screaming had Ginny yelling upstairs, "What's going on up there? Boys I told you not to wake your father. "

"Now I'm going to have to tickle both of you because you disobeyed your mum." More screaming ensued until all three Potter males were laughing very hard. Harry loved his sons very much. Half of the reason he was staying home was to spend the day with them. After the interview with Malfoy, and this whole case, had played with his head. Seeing what Malfoy's sons disappearance was doing to him, made him come home and want to hold his sons. Family was the most important thing to him and he'd do everything in his power to protect them.

He'd owled Hermione early to let her know he was taking the day off. Getting up, he stayed in his pajamas and robe and headed to the kitchen where he could smell breakfast being cooked by Ginny.

He walked in and came up behind Ginny putting his arms around her waist. "Good morning love." He lips left a trail of kisses down her neck. She arched her neck into him leaning back.

"Harry stop. I'm going to burn the bacon." Ginny said laughing and enjoying the fact that her husband would be spending the day with them for once. He had spent many years away from their family working his way up to his current position as Head Auror. "Did those two wild things wake you up? I told them to let you sleep in a little longer."

"It's OK, I slept long enough. Now I'm hungry, and not necessarily for food."

Harry's hands wandered down to Ginny's arse and up to cup her breasts.

"Harry, " she giggled again, "What if the boys see?"

"Then they'll see how important it is to please their wife someday." Harry put the spatula down and twirled Ginny around in his arms. He started kissing her deeply letting his wandering hands continue their journey from front to back.

"Harry James Potter enough! It's time to eat" She gave Harry one more kiss then wiggled out of his hold. "I promise that tonight I'll make it up to you."

"Then I'll hold you to that." Harry goosed her and walked away as Ginny gave a small shriek.

"Dad," James walked into the kitchen with a toddling Albus behind him dragging a toy broom. "There is a strange woman that's walking up and down on the sidewalk in front of our house. She keeps looking up at the house like she's angry. I think she might be trying to peek in our window."

"What does this strange woman look like?" Harry asked even though he thought he might know who this strange woman was.

"She has big, brown hair. She has a black suit on like you wear when you go to work. She also doesn't know how to smile." The description that James gave made him grin. For a four-year-old, James was pretty bright. He also seemed to have the mystery woman pegged to a tee.

Harry came and peeked out of the window. James had been right. There was Hermione pacing back and forth on the sidewalk in front of the house. Every once in awhile she'd look up at the windows of Grimauld Place, scrunch her eyebrows, give a distressed look and then continue pacing. He decided that he would end her suffering.

Harry opened the door, "Morning Hermione, would you like to join us for breakfast?" He tried not to laugh at how easily he'd startled her. She jumped and drew her wand as soon as the door had opened.

"I'd like to come in for a quick chat about what happened yesterday. I'll pass on the offer

for breakfast though, I've already eaten." She gave Harry a small grin.

Harry put his arm out motioning her to come in. He watched her as she looked around his house. There had been many changes in the past seven years since she'd seen Grimauld Place. James and Albus ran up to hide behind their dad's legs.

"Oh my Harry, they are two little Harry's aren't they?" Hermione smiled at his boys.

"Yes, that's one thing that everyone always says. Ginny wonders when one will pop out that looks like a Weasley. I told her my good looks are just dominant." Harry gave her a cocky grin.

"I'm glad to see The Chosen One hasn't lost any of his humility." Hermione said to Harry trying to stifle a grin.

"Hermione!" Ginny came running down the hallway throwing her arms around the bewildered woman. "Harry said you might be coming round some time."

Hermione stood rather stiffly, but Ginny being like her mother would have nothing of that. Sliding her arm through hers, she starting walking Hermione down into the kitchen.

"My you've grown up nicely. You are gorgeous my old friend." Her words made Hermione blush.

"Harry said that you blew the socks off of everyone yesterday, including my daft brother." Harry now turned red at Ginny's words. "I would've liked to have seen that entrance."

Kissing his wife, Harry gave her a playful push and motioned for Hermione to sit down.

"So, you're headed back to the manor today? I hope that you've better luck with the ponce than I did yesterday." Harry shook his head. "He still knows how to steam me up a bit."

"Harry you shouldn't have let him get to you. It was like we were all back in school again." Hermione scolded him.

"That's exactly what I told him Hermione. In fact, I've told him that for several years now. They seem to cross paths often with both of them working at the Ministry." Ginny put Albus in his highchair and gave both boys their breakfast. They dug in quickly, still staring at Hermione.

"So how is it being back home?" Ginny's question took Hermione by surprise. Harry watched her face wondering the same thing. After not having seen any of them in seven years she seemed a little taken back. Maybe she wasn't expecting such a warm welcome, especially from Ginny or any Weasley.

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"It's been…interesting. Many things have changed." Hermione looked around at them and at the boys who were chatting with each other. It was all so surreal, especially since when she'd left, they'd all still just been kids. She sat there questioning her own sanity of why she'd decided that it was a good idea to come her to Harry's home to talk to him. She should have demanded that he meet her at her office. But, that spark of curiosity that was part of her nature couldn't be tempered.

"So how has life been in France?" Ginny wasn't going to stop with her interrogation. She squirmed in her seat and looked around at the changes that had been made in the kitchen. She was ready to grab Harry and head into the library so Ginny's incisive chatter would stop. Again, she wasn't ready for this level of familiarity yet with any of her older friends. She was pushing the boundaries as it was showing up here at the old house.

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Harry could see and feel Hermione's anxiety as she sat there at his family's table. He noticed her watching James and Albus that were now done eating and were flinging pieces of toast at each other. They giggled when they saw a piece getting stuck in the other boys' hair. Ginny kept trying to draw Hermione into a conversation, but was having no success.

Harry once again came to her rescue, "Let's go into the drawing room to discuss the case." He pushed his chair back from the table.

Hermione jumped up, "Yes, let's do that. I need to be at Malfoy Manor in less than an hour." She said goodbye to Ginny and agreed to meet up for lunch with his wife soon.

As they walked up to the drawing room Hermione continued to look surprised as she surveyed his house. The once very dark house had been lightened up with bright paint and new furnishings. It had become a perfect place to live and raise their family.

Hermione sat down on the settee, "What really happened yesterday Harry? You let Malfoy get to you so easily."

Harry sighed, running his hands down his face, "He's Malfoy, Mione. He did it on purpose."

"Of course he did it on purpose, but Harry, you didn't have to fall for his needling. Has nothing changed in the past seven years while I've been gone?" her voice raised in concern.

Harry scowled, "He hasn't changed in how he treats me, why should I?"

"Oh that's so childish Harry. Did you pick up that line from your son, James?" She shook her head at him.

Harry groaned, "I'm so sorry Hermione. I know it wasn't very professional and I promise to do better."

"You better, because remember, I'm your new boss." Hermione tried to cover a grin. She seemed appeased for a minute. But, then her face looked troubled like she wanted to say something else to him.

She then almost shouted out to him, "Did he seem to be acting funny?" She stood up and started walking around the room, not really looking where she was going.

Harry snorted, "When does he not act funny? He's only gotten stranger as he ages."

Hermione glared at him like she used to when he wasn't paying attention to something she'd said, "No, I mean in how he was responding to the case…his wife's murder and his son's kidnapping."

Harry looked at her. He knew her brain was in full working mode and wanted to hear more. This was usually when she came up with her best ideas.

"You don't think he had anything to do with all of this, the murder and the kidnapping, do you?" Her question wasn't what he'd expected to hear. That thought hadn't even crossed his mind. She came over to where he was sitting.

"You think he murdered his own wife and had his son kidnapped? Why would he do that?"

"Most of the parents I've worked with in kidnapping cases are very willing to do whatever they can to help us in finding their child, not harassing law enforcement employees." Hermione kept pacing the floor, narrowly missing furniture as she wandered about.

Harry leaned backed thinking about her words. Malfoy has seemed to be off, but in his anger he hadn't thought much beyond him acting like a right git. To Harry that was his normal behavior, and had been for the entire time he'd known Draco Malfoy.

"What would be his motives though? Whenever I've seen him with his son, he couldn't be prouder of finally having an heir." It just didn't make sense. Harry could tell that Malfoy loved his son as much as Harry loved his own boys.

Hermione crossed her arms still deep in thought. "I'm going to dig deeper today. I need a break in this case and somehow I'm thinking I may find it at the Manor."

She bent over to pick up her briefcase, "I'll send my Patronus if I need help."

Harry grinned at her, "Still an otter Hermione?"

She smiled back at him, "Yes, Harry. That hasn't changed."

"Good luck! You'll need it."

As she was walking towards the door he yelled out, "You should have worn another skirt to show off those pretty legs of yours."

Yelling back, she said with a giggle, "Harry Potter!" Then the front door slammed closed. He hoped that he wouldn't be seeing her Patronus anytime soon.

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_**I'd planned on this chapter having Hermione meeting up with Draco at the Manor. Her little stop at Harry's house turned out to be longer than expected. It also shows how her friendship with Harry is starting to be repaired. So, Hermione showing up at the Manor will be at the beginning of chapter five. I promise! I've already started writing chapter 5 and I know you'll like what happens next. Please review and follow the story. **_


	5. Chapter 5

**Once again thanks to the reviews and the new follows on this story. I told you it'd be a slow burn to any romance, but I hope you're liking the mystery along the way. **

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Blinded Chapter 5

As she apparated to Malfoy Manor, she took a deep breath and looked around at the beautiful grounds. She admired the way that Draco had changed things in making the manor a friendlier looking place since Voldemort had lived there.

The gates were once again open in anticipation of her appointment at 10:00 a.m. Before she could knock on the door, it opened with a house elf bidding her in. "This way Ms. Granger. Please follow." He led her down the hall to a room she hadn't been to before. Walking in she couldn't help but stare at the humongous library. She gaped as she looked at the high shelves of books, books, and more books reaching to the ceiling.

"So what do you think Granger? I thought that this room would be to your liking." Malfoy gave her one of his infamous grins. "Left you speechless I see. Just as I predicted."

She looked at him trying to regain her composure. She knew she probably looked liked a child walking into Honeydukes for the first time.

"Very impressive Malfoy." Her eyes roamed from one book to the next. It had been a long time since she had just browsed in a library and found a book for pleasure reading. Most of the time she was reading for research and nothing else.

It took her a moment to shake herself out of her trance. It was just like Malfoy to try to find some way to distract her and draw the attention away from him. This didn't help to dim any of her strong suspicions about him somehow being involved.

"While I appreciate the tour Malfoy, that's not why I'm here." She turned away from the bookshelves to look at him.

He stood by a small table that held a decanter full of Firewhisky. Malfoy helped himself to a large shot of the liquor and drank it down. Holding up the glass towards Hermione he asked, "Would you care for a drink?"

Hermione almost rolled her eyes, but tried to control that action. "No thank you. Getting drunk at 10:00 a.m. is against ministry rules as you already know."

Malfoy gave her a lopsided grin, "Your loss love. But it might help you loosen up a bit. You still walk around like you have a stick up your arse."

Hermione pinched her lips together and held her arm down at her side. What she really wanted to do was hex the nincompoop into next week, but knew he was just trying to get a reaction out of her like he had Harry yesterday.

She walked over to him and took the glass out of his hands before he could get any more liquor into his system. She needed some answers from him, and a drunk Malfoy wouldn't be a fountain of knowledge except crude talk from him.

"You're a spoilsport Granger. You ruin everything." He sneered at the woman standing in front of him.

"This isn't happy hour Malfoy and I'm no barmaid." She crossed her arms in front of her chest getting ready for a face off.

The sneer disappeared from his face until all that was left was a long frown. All of the steam had seemed to be let out of him. Standing close to him, Hermione could see more clearly the dark circles under his eyes. His pale skin seemed to have taken on a yellowish tint. His normally perfect hair now lay flat and lifeless. She looked into Malfoy's grey eyes that screamed of sadness. They wanted to say something to her, but she wasn't sure what it was. They stood there for sixty seconds staring into each other's eyes, though it felt like hours. Finally Malfoy turned around and walked to the nearest chair and sat down. He hung his head down, leaned forward and began to cry. It wasn't a soft cry. It wasn't a loud cry. It was something you might hear from a lost puppy wanting it's mum. The utter sadness radiating from this man drew Hermione to him.

Hermione was there in an instant standing in front of him. Before she knew what was happening he reached out pulling her into him. His arms encircled her waist, while his head rested on her stomach and her body stiffened. At first Hermione didn't know what to do with her hands. She looked like a bird in flight with her hands flapping out to the sides trying to decide where they should land. She finally put her hands on his shoulders, rubbing in soft circles to calm him like she often had done with Harry when he'd been upset.

Her mind was spinning as this whole thing had taken her by surprise. Her mind seemed to have gone blank. What should she say to him as he was mourning the loss of his wife?

She had never been put into such an intimate, physical position with one of the parents of a kidnapped child. She usually knew what to say, but this was entirely different, especially from her former nemesis.

Finally her mind shifted into gear, "I'm so sorry for the loss of your wife. I know you probably loved her so much and will miss her terribly."

As soon as the words left her lips, his hands landed on her hips and pushed her back a bit so he could look up at her. "I don't miss that shrew!" The words came out in a shout. Then he continued, "So you think I loved her? Think about it Granger…arranged, Pureblood marriage? Only having sex to produce an heir and spending all of my money like she truly deserved to…" The sneer returned to his face and he stood up.

"My tears are for my son. He's one of the few people that I have ever truly loved in my life." His hands tightened on her hips as if to enunciate his point.

"I'm truly sorry that I mistook whom your tears were for." She had never been more sincere in her life. She knew what it was like to be with someone who only was going through the motions of trying to be with you. It sounded like he had been stung in love too.

"Tell me what I can do Granger to help you find my son." His sincere plea melted all of her concerns about his supposed involvement in the kidnapping. Anyone walking into the room would have gotten the wrong idea about what was happening. Standing closely together, his hands on her hips and her hands on top of his, and the couple staring into each other's eyes spoke of deep intimacy.

As if in a dream, and before she could stop her hand from moving, Hermione reached up to place her hand on Draco's cheek. He leaned into her touch and she felt like liquid heat was melting into her hand and heading straight into her heart. His eyes looked in hers searching, trying to find some meaning in what was happening between the two former enemies.

"Do you truly mean it Malfoy? No games and playing around, but real work from you?"

"Yes, Granger, I mean it." He gave her a rare smile and she dropped her hand and stepped back. "I will use every resource I have to help you." Hermione went over to the table where the Firewhiskey decanter stood, and poured herself and Malfoy another drink.

He sauntered over, "I thought you said you couldn't drink whilst working under ministry hours?" He grabbed the glass from her and downed his whiskey.

She took her drink and knocked it back quickly bringing tears to her eyes. "Even I can be wrong at times Malfoy. Just don't let the public know alright?"

"OK," he again gave her one of his rare grins. "I'm glad to see that stick has dislodged from that pretty, little arse of yours."

"Gods Malfoy! You really know how to ruin a moment don't you?" She smacked his arm almost knocking his glass out of his hand. "No more drinking, it's time to go back to my office."

He gave a big sigh, "Always have to be the bossy know it all." That sentiment earned him one more smack on his arm as Hermione brushed by him with a huff.

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Hermione Granger and Draco Malfoy entering together into The Ministry of Magic, not only got the gossip mongers squawking, but made most people jump out of their way as they powerfully strutted through the grand foyer of the ministry.

No one stopped them as they looked like they were on a mission. Hermione walked slightly in front of Draco, as it was her offices they were going to. As they got to the Department of Magical Law Enforcement heads turned as their new Deputy Head walked in with someone as notorious as Draco Malfoy, and because it was his son that had been the latest kidnapping victim. The pair talked to no one, not even Hermione's secretary who made eye contact with Hermione. The stern look she received from her boss assured her that she needed to make sure that they were left alone and not disturbed.

As Hermione's office door shut, Draco sunk into the closest chair, which just happened to be Hermione's. She sighed, "Out of my chair Malfoy. That's my desk and my chair."

"But it's nice and comfy and better than that chair," he pointed to the straight-backed office chair sitting across from her desk.

"Call over to your own office if you want your personal nice, comfy chair." Hermione glared at the man who was starting to get on her nerves.

Draco looked offended at her words, "Well that's not very welcoming Deputy Granger." He got up and sat in the chair on the other side of the desk.

"I'm not the Welcome Wagon Malfoy" Hermione snipped at him.

"What's a Welcome Wagon Granger?" Malfoy asked with all sincerity. He picked up a knick-knack sitting on her desk in the shape of the Eiffel Tower. Hermione grabbed it out of his hands and smacked it down on her desk and then sat in her chair.

"Oh never mind. We didn't come here to discuss inane things." Hermione's patience levels were waning the more time she spent around Draco and on this case. She reached around to the filing cabinet behind her. Lifting a huge file out, she dropped it on the desk with a bang.

"This is what I have to work through. This is two years of notes, leads, and just plain crazy ideas about who is behind the kidnappings."

Draco looked at the huge folder curiously, "You would think with all of that information that they'd be closer to finding the kidnappers."

"The problem is, much of the material contained in this folder is pure nonsense from busybodies who want to feel important." Hermione reached up to push her fluff of hair behind her shoulders.

Hermione watched as Draco looked around her office. She knew that it was almost empty and sterile looking. She wanted to keep it that way. She wasn't sure that she wanted to become attached to being back here. She knew for sure that she didn't want to become attached deeply with those who used to be in her life. It was easier this way to keep a distance from others and less chance of being hurt.

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(Two hours later)

Draco crumpled up the paper he'd been reading and tossed it into the trashcan. He picked up another paper and then proceeded to do the same thing to that piece. As he picked up a third paper from the file and started balling it up, he was startled from his crumpling.

"Draco Malfoy stop that this instant! Those are official papers you are ruining." Hermione tried to act stern besides the fact she wanted to do the same thing to the papers that she had been perusing.

"What did you call me?" Draco asked sitting up in his chair staring at Hermione.

"I called you Draco Malfoy. That is your name isn't it?" Hermione gave him a sneer to equal his own.

"Well yes…but that's the first time you've ever called me Draco. It just surprised me." Hermione rolled her eyes at him. She did understand why this would be shocking to him. She knew if he ever started calling her by her first name it would be awkward.

She leaned back in her chair and knocked some of the papers onto the floor. "This file is truly full of rubbish isn't it?" Draco cocked his eyebrow at her statement. "I guess that explains why Kingsley came begging on bended knee for me to head this investigation."

"Because you are a hot shot investigator who can solve any case, right?" Draco egged her on. His tone came out a bit teasing as he kicked his legs up onto her desk.

Hermione leaned forward and casually pushed his legs off her now cluttered desk. "No, not at all. He wanted someone else to take the fall for the lack of momentum on this case. He couldn't have the great Harry Potter take responsibility for it could he?" Hermione turned her nose up at her own words.

Draco smirked at her, "Little bit of resentment there Granger? We all can't be as wonderful as the Savior of the Wizarding World can we?" Hermione couldn't help but smile back at him. "I thought you and Potter were best friends?"

"Well, best friends usually support each other and believe them when they tell them about what another best friend has done. And then they don't take sides." Hermione had crossed her arms letting the words spill from her mouth. Draco just sat there studying her. She finally looked up. "What?"

"Is that why you left England?" He stared at her waiting for answer. His grey eyes seemed to want to penetrate her mind making her very uncomfortable. There was no way in hell that she was going to get into the true reasons of why she'd left seven years ago. Spilling all of her secrets to Draco Malfoy wasn't on the agenda for the day.

Before she could say anything else or he could keep questioning her, there was a rap on the office door.

"Ms. Granger, something just came in to the Auror department and you need to take a look at it."

Hermione jumped up from her desk and swung the door open. Auror Dean Thomas walked in holding a package wrapped up in red paper. He set it on Hermione's desk.

"Has anyone other than you touched the package? Also, how did it arrive?" Hermione's brain was back to running at full gear.

"Oddly enough, it was delivered to the main lobby by a Muggle postman. We quickly realized he was under the Imperius Curse. We had to obliviate him after he delivered the package." Dean Thomas looked just as concerned as Hermione felt.

Looking over at Malfoy he looked even paler than normal. This package could mean nothing about this case or it could turn out to be something huge. They wouldn't know until they opened it.

Hermione got her wand out to check for any spells or curses that might be on the package, but Dean stopped her, "We've already thoroughly checked the package and found no curses or traces of spells anywhere on the package."

"Thank you Dean for being so meticulous on your end." Hermione smiled at her former Gryffindor housemate.

Then her eyes looked over again to Malfoy who sat staring at the package. He looked as if he were frozen in his seat. "Well, are you going to open it? Or are we going to keep looking at the beautiful red paper?" Draco mumbled.

His words woke Hermione up from her stupor. She hated this part of her job. This same thing had happened before during a kidnapping case. The object inside the box hadn't been a pleasant thing to look at. She felt hesitant to open up this box expecting the worst to have happened again.

Hermione tried to steady her hands, as she didn't want to truly show how she was feeling in front of Malfoy. After all, this could possibly be a link to his son. With trembling fingers, her hands tore at the red wrapping paper that fell away onto the floor. The box on the outside said, "Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes" and Hermione felt either this was funny or a very sick joke.

Both Dean and Draco kept their eyes on her and she wanted to ask them to look away, but no words would come from her dry mouth. She ran her tongue over her chapped lips and took a deep breath. Slowly she lifted the lid off of the box and then gasped, despite trying not to react.

Draco looked in the box after hearing Hermione's response, "Oh sweet Merlin!" He looked like he wanted to vomit as his skin became pale and he almost fell over. He stumbled backwards and fell into his chair as his hand went over his mouth as if to hold back a scream.

Dean leaned over and looked into the box, "Is that a child's finger?" Dean also looked liked he wanted to lose whatever was in his stomach.

"We are dealing with some pretty sick bastards that's all I'm going to say right now." Hermione also felt nauseous as she looked at the severed finger of a child surrounded by six pink and purple, very dead and mutilated Pygmy Puffs.

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**I must know what you're thinking! Please review and I promise not to keep you waiting too long with this evil cliffy I've left for you. **


	6. Blinded:Chapter 6

_**Welcome to all of the new readers and those following this story. Thanks to those that took the time to review. I'd love to hear back from more of you.**_

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Blinded: Chapter 6

Hermione stood still for the longest time staring at the box, and then she looked over at Draco. She knew that she needed to do something, but so many feelings and thoughts were rushing around her. She knew professionally what she should do, and she knew what her human side felt like doing. The professional in her won out.

"Dean, the first thing that must be done is to see if we can identify whom the…evidence belongs to." In the past few years Muggle forensic science and wizarding spells had been combined for use in cases like this. Much like identifying DNA was done in the Muggle world, wizards could now do this with their specimens. It had been a huge breakthrough in many of the cases Hermione had worked on.

"Malfoy," she walked around her desk to stand by the man's side. He still was bent forward, holding his stomach like he wanted to throw up. He didn't respond to his name. "Draco, you need to go with Dean down to the lab so they can take a sample of your DNA to see…" The words didn't want to leave her mouth. She hesitated trying to find the right way to say what needed to be said.

"You want to see if that could be Scorpius's finger, right?" Draco sat up to meet her eyes. With a self depreciating tone he said, "You're probably wondering why I can't tell you if it's his finger or not?" Hermione hadn't even thought that at all. None of them had really looked too long at the digit.

"You see, it's hard to tell when it's not with the rest of him." His voice broke off in a choked whisper. "I miss holding his hand." Hermione could see that he felt so lost. This was a familiar sight with the parents left behind. There always was survivor's guilt whether the child died or not. They just knew that they weren't able to protect their child and it almost killed many of them.

Hermione took Draco's hand and guided him up out of his chair. "You can come back here when they are done taking your sample." His face was so crestfallen. "Or, if you want to go back to the manor that would be fine." He simply nodded to her and walked out the room with Dean holding the box.

Hermione dropped into her chair and fell apart. She could feel the tears as they coursed down her cheeks. This had never happened before. She had never had these cases affect her so personally, but somehow Draco Malfoy and his son had changed it all for her. Seeing that tiny child's finger had grabbed her heart, along with seeing how Draco had reacted when he looked at it.

Quickly wiping her tears away, she gave a big sigh and then bent her neck back and forth to get rid of some kinks that had landed there. Taking a deep breath she opened up the file and took out the pictures of all of the missing children. She narrowed it down to the children who would be around the age of having a finger the size of the one that had been in the box. It always hit you in the gut to see the children's photos lined up together. What kind of monsters stole children away from their loving parents?

Hermione looked around her sterile office and realized she really hated her job. The realization was, the last several years of solving case after case was only a way of not facing her personal life. Becoming absorbed in the sometimes-morbid task of finding missing children had only been a

way to avoid coming back here and resolving the past mistakes, received and given.

Hermione called in her secretary, and asked her to owl the remaining parents to come in for DNA samples. Maybe they had no clue to where the children were at the moment, but they could at least figure out which child had been dismembered and could possibly have been killed. Her instincts told her this child was still alive. If they had killed the child they would have sent back more than a finger like the case a few years ago.

Still feeling restless, she left her office and took the lift to the lab to wait personally for the results. Then she mentally made herself ready to deliver the news, good or bad to Malfoy Manor, and possibly the other parents depending upon the results. Thankfully those results would come back within hours and not days.

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Hermione picked up her hot cup of afternoon tea. The Darjeeling with its light and delicate taste gave her a refreshing lift as she waited. She had been in the lab offices for over an hour trying not to show her impatience. She'd sent an owl off to Harry requesting him to come to the ministry, even if it was his day off.

Watching the door waiting for Harry helped to kill some time. Lunch came and went, but her stomach could only handle the tea. Without noticing, her toe started tapping a nervous rhythm that would have driven some people crazy. The office door swung open and a concerned looking Harry Potter came in.

"Any news yet?" Harry came to stand by Hermione.

"No, but it should be soon. I sent all of the parents home saying we'd send messages when results came in." She kept sipping on her tea hoping somehow it would help her sagging spirits.

"Have anymore clues been found concerning who sent the box?"

"That's the biggest problem. Whoever sent it covered their tracks effectively by involving the Muggle Postman." Hermione felt this was the most frustrating thing of all. "It's like all tracks leading to the kidnappers disappeared once the package got into the postman's hands."

"What about the wrapping paper on the package? Could any prints be taken and analyzed?" Harry seemed to be as frustrated as she was.

"No. With as many people handling the package, including myself, there were too many prints to get definitive results. I should have known better." Hermione's anger surfaced, and her hand slammed down knocking into her tea. "In fact, this whole department should have known better. This is the first procedural change that will be put into place tomorrow."

Harry ran a hand through his hair. He'd also felt that this should be something changed in the way that evidence was handled in the department.

Hermione looked up and saw the head of the forensics team was coming out of the lab, his face unreadable.

"Ms. Granger, we have the tissue results linked up to the correct parent. The digit does belong to one of the missing children." He handed the report to her and left the room.

Hermione held the report against her body not wanting to read the results, even though she had waited over an hour and half for them.

"Well, what does it say? Whose parents are we going to be delivering the grim news to?" Harry asked the questions that she was wishing she could hold off answering, even though she knew it was inevitable.

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Hermione was about to apparate to the manor to speak to Draco.

"Do you want me to go with you?" Harry asked, even though she knew that was the last place that he wanted to return to.

"I appreciate the offer, but it's best that I go alone." She actually was able to find a slim smile to give him. "Just be here early tomorrow morning when we start a shake down with your Aurors and others in the department. I'm putting you in charge of the training."

"Wow, thanks Hermione. It'll be my pleasure to lecture them about what idiots we've all been for years." Harry tried to lighten the mood for her before he left. "Good luck Hermione."

"Thanks Harry. I'd rather trade you places and let you go talk to Malfoy." She scrunched up her face, "It's all been rather odd dealing with him as an adult."

"Oh, I know Hermione and we'd end up killing each other so the git is all yours."

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The longest walk is the one where you have to deliver news whether that news is good or bad. She felt like she lived at Draco's house now from how often she had been there the last few days.

She'd considered sending a message that she was coming, but either way he'd been waiting for a few hours and a few minutes wouldn't make any difference. This visit unfortunately would not be her last until the case was solved.

Once again the gates opened to her and she slowly walked up to the front door. Staring at the extravagant doorknocker, which she had never used once the past few days, she contemplated whether or not it was time to use it. The house elf beat her to it once again and opened the door while she was in the process of raising her hand. It made her wonder if surveillance cameras were on the grounds. Of course that would be utter nonsense, because no one had figured out yet how to intertwine Muggle electricity and magic. Maybe in her older years or when this case was solved, she'd hide away somewhere and spend all of her time figuring out this mystery, But for now she had news to share to a very distraught and nervous father.

Hermione was taken upstairs back to the nursery. She wasn't surprised at all that she would find him up here as he awaited news concerning his son. It had become a familiar place to find grieving parents spending hours in their missing child's room.

Draco was lying down on his son's bed grasping the red, toy dragon in his arms. His eyes were closed, but his body was tensed up, and she wondered if he was really asleep. She almost hoped that he'd been able to get some rest, because from the circles under his eyes, it looked like he hadn't been able to sleep at all since his son's disappearance.

The house elf walked over to Draco, "Master, I've got the Ms.'s Granger here to see you." He made no movement at the elf's words. The elf's hands reached up to slightly shake his master.

Without any warning, Draco jumped out of bed and almost trampled down his servant. The tiny house elf squealed and fell backwards hitting its head on the floor. Hermione screamed and ran over to the elf to help. Draco realizing what was happening, turned around to help his elf and ran straight into Hermione.

"Ow! Bleeding Hell woman!" Draco bellowed as he held onto his chin.

"You big oaf! What were you thinking?" Hermione reached up to feel the lump now forming on the edge of her eyebrow. "You have the pointiest chin in the world!"

"It's not my fault that you both were sneaking in here while I was trying to take a kip."

"Well, maybe some of us are here on official business and didn't want to wait any longer to give you some news." The words instantly stopped Draco from what he'd been planning on saying. His eyes found hers and his mouth closed. The sarcastic words that he'd been planning on saying seemed to disappear. Hermione felt something else coming from Draco: fear.

"Well? Are you going to spill or just stand there staring at me?" Hermione wished that the words had been said with some sarcasm, but he'd been serious.

Hermione stepped forward, "Let's go sit down," she put her hand on his arm to steer him towards the bed.

Draco's hand came up to bat her hand away, "No, I don't want to sit down. Just tell me." The words came out as a plea.

"Draco…it wasn't a match." He cocked his head still looking at her like he hadn't heard her. "It wasn't Scorpius's finger. It wasn't his…" Before she could finish she felt herself being scooped up in Draco's arms. He swung her around and around, holding her tightly against him. Setting her down, his arms still encircled her. His forehead came to rest against hers. Hermione found her arms reaching around Draco. They stood there holding each other for several minutes. The only sounds heard were their own breathing.

"Thank you Hermione." She looked up at him with surprise at hearing him call her by her given name. Yes, it had been awkward, but nice.

"I had nothing to do with it. A small bit of luck was on your side today." She smiled at him, but she felt a small stab to her heart thinking of how she still needed to go to the Goldsteins to deliver the bad news to them.

"Then thank you for being here for me." He leaned forward and kissed her brow where his chin had rammed into her. "And for not sending Potter to deliver the news." Just for a second she saw a light in his eyes and saw the old sarcastic Draco Malfoy. Hermione couldn't stop herself from giggling.

"I need to go now," she stepped out of his arms. "I have other parents that I must meet with." The smile left both of their faces.

"But, I promise we can meet up again tomorrow. I have some theories to bounce off of you. I need another brain that thinks like mine." Somehow those words seemed to bring some comfort to Draco.

"Are you implying that I'm as smart as the brightest witch of our age Hermione Granger?" Draco lifted an eyebrow as he folded his arms.

"I'm just saying, there's no need to wear out my brain while yours is sitting idly here doing nothing." She tried to keep a straight face while Draco smirked at her response. "Good night Draco."

Hermione left a quiet Draco and hurried down the stairs. It had been a tiring day and she still had to deliver the bad news that she'd been dreading all day.

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_**Thoughts? What do you think about the relationship between Draco and Hermione? It's slow, but bits and pieces are building along the way. This is not the kind of story where things would move that quickly…for many reasons. I'd love more reviews from all of you! Check out my other stories I'm writing currently…Time Changes All Things (Hermione and Tom Riddle Jr. time travel) and Living (Hermione and Snape post war fic) **_


	7. Chapter 7

_**The mystery continues and Draco and Hermione keep getting to know each other better! **_

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Blinded: Chapter 7

Hermione came stumbling through the door of her flat. She kicked off her shoes and they went flying against the wall. She tugged at the buttons of her jacket, shrugging it off and threw it on the floor. Heading into the kitchen she got her bottle of red wine she'd been saving for the right occasion and flopped onto the sofa. Within seconds she had the bottle open and was chugging the wine like it were water. Her head hit the back of the cushion and she closed her eyes thinking about the long day that was finally ending.

She'd eventually made it to all of the parents' homes, ending with the meeting at the Goldsteins last. Both parents had broken down when Hermione had revealed that the finger in the box belonged to their child. She'd tried to give them hope that she felt like their daughter was still alive, but Mrs. Goldstein finally had to be carried up to her room after collapsing from crying so hard and for so long.

Hermione was so frustrated that she truly had no leads in this case. Tomorrow she wanted to pick Draco's brain about any possible suspects that maybe the Aurors hadn't thought of. Malfoy of course had run in circles with darker leanings than most wizards. If she could get him thinking outside of the box, maybe they would be a step closer in finding the missing children.

Hermione took the last swallow from the bottle, and it fell out of her hand rolling across the wooden floor. With a fuzzy feeling brain, and a tired, sluggish body, she fell asleep right there on the sofa.

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Draco Malfoy woke up with a start. He could have sworn he'd heard Scorpius cry out for him. He threw off the covers and ran out of his room, down the hallway and into the nursery. His feet skidded to a stop when his eyes looked at the empty bed. There was no blond, silky-haired two year old with the big grey eyes reaching out for his father. The cold, dark room just felt so hollow. All of the life had been sucked out of the brightly, decorated room when his son had been taken.

Draco had to lean against the wall lest he fall over from grief. Why did it have to be his son? The only good thing in his life and it was taken from him. He knew the world and the universe owed him nothing. The Gods knew he was no saint and that he deserved nothing special. But, he had been given something very special in the form of a young boy who personified everything good that he'd always wished for. Even though he'd made many mistakes in his life, his son had not been a mistake. It was in fact, the only good thing he'd ever been part of.

Draco slid down the wall until he crumpled up into a ball on the floor. He'd never cried so much in his whole life. This was even taking into account the tears he'd cried all through sixth year while trying to figure out how to fix the cabinet in the room of requirement and how to kill off Dumbledore. His worries from that time in his life didn't even compare to how he felt now. He'd been scared for his parents and himself that year. Now, he knew he'd never recover, nor want to live if his son didn't come back to him alive.

The wooden floor felt cold on his face. His fingers traced patterns on the floor. The sun was starting to come out and light up the room. The suns' rays lit up the murals of the Quidditch players on the walls. Scorpius had loved looking at them and hearing the many stories of Quidditch games Draco had played while at Hogwarts. That had always been a highlight of his day to tell his son stories at bedtime and see the excitement in the eyes that were so like his own.

Draco pulled himself up from the floor and wandered over to the bed. It seemed liked an eternity since Scorpius had been taken, even though it had only been a few days. He just wanted to go take a shower and head to the ministry so he and Hermione could start working again. He would do anything and everything to bring his son back alive. With a great sigh he stood up, and with a stronger determination he headed back to his own suite of rooms. The sooner he made it there; it'd be one step closer to holding his son in his arms again.

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Oh her head hurt. Leaning up she looked around her living room and realized what had happened last night. The empty wine bottle left on the floor confirmed her thoughts. She'd come home and got drunk on the only thing she could find in the house. It had all been too much yesterday, but today was a new day to work on solving this case.

With a quick shower, a piece of toast, and cup of tea later, Hermione left her flat dressed in a bright yellow dress. It was time to make a difference in this case. When she walked into her office, she was surprised to see that Draco Malfoy was already waiting in the outer area speaking softly with her assistant. Of course her assistant was giving all of her attention to the handsome head of the Department of International Magical Cooperation. He seemed to be listening attentively to whatever her chatterbox assistant was blabbing about. It shouldn't bother her that Malfoy was paying attention to another woman in her own office, but frankly it did for some reason. This was annoying Hermione that she was caring so much about what this man did and said.

Hermione walked in, "Good Morning to you both." She put a smile on her face as she strutted by. "Please send in a pot of tea for me and Mr. Malfoy." She didn't mean to sound so dismissive, as her assistant looked up at her.

Draco stood saying goodbye to the young assistant and followed Hermione into her office.

"You seem cheery today, or at least look that way." He took a seat across from her desk where he planted himself yesterday. His eyes looked up and down at her figure. She was wearing one of her favorite "flirty" dresses. The sheath, lace dress had a scooped neckline with short sleeves and scalloped cuffs. She'd only hesitated a little this morning when she'd pulled this from her closet. The dress made her feel happy and confident, and this was exactly what she needed to feel today. Apparently Draco seemed to like it too because he kept looking at her.

"Are you ready for another long day?" Hermione asked him.

"As long as we don't have anymore unwelcome surprises." Malfoy said with all seriousness.

"I wish that I could assure you that we were bound to have a carefree day, but this is the wrong job for that." Hermione said sitting down in her comfy office chair. She pulled out a blank piece of white paper. At the top she had, "Suspects" and then she started numbering from 1-20 on the side.

Looking up she noticed that Draco was snickering. "What's so funny Malfoy? Have you never seen a list before?"

"I'm not laughing at the fact that you have a list, I'm laughing because this is just so you." Hermione was trying to decide if he was making fun of her or not.

From the look on his face she had a feeling that he was making an observation and not acting like the old Malfoy. Back then he was always finding every opportunity to make fun of her.

"This normal, regular me is the one that always solves cases so you should be happy that I've not changed." Hermione added.

"I'm hoping with all of my heart that you are the same. Out of everyone I've known, you've been the most accomplished. If your great skills bring back my son, I say kudos to you." He grinned at her while sitting back in his chair.

"So first, who do you know that would hold any grudges against the Pureblood parents of the kidnapped children?" Hermione started with her questioning?

"Maybe it's a Muggleborn that is targeting our families." Draco offered first.

"Before you think that I'm crazy, I just have a feeling that's not the case." Hermione tapped her pen on the desk. "I'm thinking it's a Pureblood. They're making a point against Purebloods that may have switched sides during the war."

"You do know that Muggleborns can be as ruthless as Purebloods when it comes to enacting revenge?" Draco leaned forward as he made his point. "Look at you, I don't ever want to be on your bad side ever again." He cocked his eyebrow at her as he rubbed his fingers against his chin.

Hermione glared back at him. "Point taken, but…" she hesitated and looked at him. "OK, fair enough. Let's make two lists, one for Purebloods and the other for Muggleborns." She pulled out another piece of paper.

"You might as well get one more list started for Halfbloods too." Draco said.

Hermione hesitated, but gave up in order to keep the peace. "Great point Malfoy. Let's get started."

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"Gentlemen and Ladies we're meeting today to talk about protocol. Most specifically the handling of unknown packages and objects that comes into our office."

Harry looked out to see the many bored and restless faces of the Aurors and office assistants in his department. He wasn't thrilled that Hermione had given him this task of training these people in such a mundane, but important thing. He knew that they would react the exact way they were acting now.

"What are we doing wrong boss?" Harry almost groaned as he heard Ron ask the question in a hostile tone. It seemed to be a pattern lately of Ron causing problems for him at work. Maybe he was getting lazy and tired of his job, but he seemed to be taking a lot of his frustrations out on Harry.

"What everyone is doing wrong is that we need to start wearing gloves when handling any projects or unknown parcels that come in." Harry tried to stay calm even though he felt like yelling at Ron and the rest of the apparently distracted Aurors. "This simple thing done daily by Muggles is something that should have been standard procedure here at the Ministry." His eyes narrowed in on Ron first because of his bad attitude.

"Yesterday we could have had a breakthrough in the kidnapping case if so many people hadn't handled the box sent from the kidnappers." Harry noticed that several of them had sat up and were now paying attention. There was also some whispering going on. Not everyone knew what had happened yesterday. "In the box was a finger of one of the kidnapped children."

Seamus raised his hand, "Do we know which child was maimed?"

Harry hesitated but answered, "Yes, we were able to identify the child, but we will not be letting the identity of the child known right now. Once Deputy Head Granger feels like it's necessary, I will be informing you."

"Also know, that Deputy Head Granger is working on a spell to help identify fingerprints more accurately, even under situations where a package had been manhandled." Harry added.

"Well if anyone can figure something out, it'll be Hermione." Parvati spoke out and of course everyone nodded in agreement. Even though Hermione had been gone for seven years, most people were in awe of her intelligence and innovating ideas.

"Now for more procedures that need to be reviewed…" more groans could be heard as Harry continued his lecture. He was going to finish this up so he could be off doing more pleasant things like helping Hermione catch the thugs who were behind the kidnappings.

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The sound of her stomach rumbling filled her office. Embarrassed, she looked up and saw Malfoy trying to hold back a grin. "Is someone's tummy ready for lunch?"

"Nice Malfoy…tummy?" Hermione couldn't hold back a bemused look on her face.

"Sorry Granger. You'll understand after you have a child. Even the most prolific of adults have a hard time not letting in a bit of child-talk." Draco sat up straighter in his chair and smoothed his hair back with his hand.

"I wasn't necessarily making fun of you. It just took me by surprise." Hermione tried to ignore the man and get back to the lists they'd been working on.

"You may want to ignore your hunger pains," Draco stood up shaking out his legs, "But I'm heading somewhere for lunch. Would you like to join me?"

Hermione looked up at him like he'd spoken foreign words.

"What? Don't the employees of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement take lunch breaks?" Draco asked her in his typical, snotty Malfoy tone.

"Of course they do; but I don't usually stop for lunch." Hermione spoke back truthfully.

"I already knew the answer to that question." Draco leaned forward onto her desk, "I always see your little boyfriends taking several tea breaks, coffee breaks and lunch breaks throughout the day." His disdainful sneer apparent as he spoke of Harry and Ron.

"Well, it sounds like you take many of those same breaks if you've seen Harry and Ron out and about on their breaks." Hermione huffed back at him.

"I never said that those of us in the Department of International Magical Cooperation didn't take breaks." He stood up proudly, crossing his arms. "We know when it's important to take a brain break."

Hermione smiled and started to open her mouth to say something about his brain, when Draco leaned back over and put his finger over her lips, "Don't even say it…are you coming or not?"

She looked at the man who had been working by her side all morning and decided a break might be a good thing. "Yes, I'll come with you."

"Good Granger. It'd be a shame to not head out into the open to show off that cute little frock you're wearing today." He winked at her and sauntered out of her office, his words almost making her blush-almost.

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As Hermione ran to catch up with Malfoy, neither one of them noticed the man holding a red package that was being carried to the office by a low-level assistant that hadn't bothered to go to the meeting earlier that day. It had been delivered by one of those unusual Muggle postmen again. Oh well, it wasn't his problem. All he did every day was fetch and carry for his higher ups. He might as well be a house elf for the jobs he was assigned to do. Where was everyone anyhow? The frustrated man dropped the box on the first desk in the door and then left to go eat his now mushy sandwich he'd brought from home.

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_**Not another box! Yes, another surprise from the kidnappers. I hope that you're liking the story so far. As I keep reminding readers and reviewers, this story may be slow going, but I'm developing a real plotline and want it to be as real as possible. If you like the story I'm always open to reviews! Remember to check out my other stories: Time Changes All Things, Living and my now finished Cedric and Hermione story of when they became parents…Counting Fingers, Counting Toes. **_


	8. Chapter 8

_**I'm starting this chapter with a lighter mood and with some Draco/Hermione goodness before more dark things pop up. Thanks for reading!**_

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Blinded Chapter 8

Hermione sat back in her chair lazily watching Draco Malfoy eat. After conceding to a lunch break with the man, she was determined to sit, eat, and relax for an hour. It hadn't taken long for her to finish her chicken salad on a croissant. Draco was still working on his steak and kidney pie, his small tossed salad and his bowl of fruit sat waiting for him. Hermione kept eyeing the large strawberry sitting atop his fruit bowl.

"You know, you can have that strawberry if you'd like it." Draco said after taking a sip of his ale. "You've been salivating over it for the last fifteen minutes." His familiar smirk flashed her way as he finished his pie.

Hermione felt her cheeks flush in embarrassment. She hadn't realized she'd been eyeing his fruit. Her hand quickly shot out grabbing the strawberry. "Thank you. I love strawberries."

"Good to know." Draco winked at her and continued eating the rest of his salad. What had that meant? Good to know? Why would it be good to know that she liked strawberries? It was quite the show watching Draco eat. His impeccable manners combined with his way her held his cutlery, and then his odd way of how he ate a bite of pie then a bite of salad then back to pie then to salad, truly had made for an interesting lunch.

"Do you always analyze your lunch companion as much as you do?" Draco asked her as he tilted his head, his blonde locks falling once again into his eyes. She wanted to reach over and push his silky hair back where it belonged. Everything about the man was one, huge temptation. The more time she spent with him, the worse it was becoming. He was like a drug. The more it sinks into your system, the more it takes over your body. She could say the same about Draco. The more she talked to him, and watched him; she could feel him sinking into her soul. This felt like dangerous territory to her, considering why she was spending so much time with the man. She needed to focus more on the case and not analyzing his idiosyncrasies.

"Would you like more fruit?" Draco said as his fork stabbed a piece of pineapple. She watched as the juice from the pineapple ran over his lips, and down the side of his mouth. Unconsciously her own tongue came out to lick her lips. Draco's napkin came up to dab the sliding juices. Again she noticed the wicked smile that seemed to often grace his face.

"The pineapple is really good today. Are you sure you don't want some?" he picked up another piece extending it out to her. Her hand reached out to pick it off the fork. Draco shook his head, "No, here…" his hand went to her chin pulling her towards him as he put the fruit in her mouth. She bit down on the juicy piece, squirming in her seat at the intimacy of the action. He seemed to be in a playful mood, which was actually refreshing from the sad, dour mood that had been in place since Scorpius's kidnapping.

"Isn't it time we should be back?" Hermione asked hoping to hurry him along. Even with how nice the lunch with Draco had been, there was still so much work waiting for her at the ministry.

"Juice," he motioned to her chin. When she looked at him puzzled by his answer, he brought his napkin up to her face. He gradually ran it over her lips and down to her chin. He was slowly killing her with this leisurely dance of seemingly pre-seduction moves. Their eyes met and she could definitely see a twinkle there she hadn't seen before.

"Um, thank you." Hermione stood up, knocking the small diner table in her haste. Draco looked at her in surprise. "Lots to do back at work." Her nerves had taken as much as she could at the moment. Draco Malfoy was a puzzle that she didn't have time to figure out right now. The smirk returned.

"You're the boss." His long arm snapped out to grab the check booklet just as Hermione was reaching for it. "My treat, because it was my idea to eat out for lunch." Hermione just smiled and nodded back at him. Yes, this man would be an enigma, but she'd have fun figuring him out eventually.

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"Did you send the package?" the man asked his partner.

"Yes, of course I sent it. Though I think it was a waste of time." The man glared at the taller man. "If we're going to be sending presents they need to be more like the one we sent earlier."

The man in charge slapped his partner up side of the head. His large fists grabbed his shirt and shoved him into the wall, his head banging harshly against the brick. "You don't get to question what I do. We always keep them on edge. This will do exactly that. We will always be one step ahead of them."

"Especially that highfalutin bitch Granger! She thinks she can catch us." The man sniggered.

"As long as we don't do anything stupid we'll get what we want." The taller man glared accusingly at the shorter one.

He looked up to his partner puzzled, hesitated, and then asked, "What is it we want?"

The taller man gave a wild laugh, "That's for me to know and it's none of your concern. They'll know soon enough what I want. If they want these brats back alive, they'll give it to me too."

The man laughed again, and whistled to himself as his hand forcefully hit the cages full of scared children. The cages shook back and forth, almost to the point of tipping over. Their small whimpers and cries were not acknowledged by either man. One small boy in particular cringed, and shrunk into the corner. After what had happened the night before, it was no wonder the boy was so frightened. He had cried for his mum and dad until the wee hours of the morning. The house elf had rubbed his back until he'd cried himself to sleep. The elf had been beaten for showing mercy to one of the children. Mercy was definitely lacking for all of the children who'd been taken away from their loving homes. It also didn't look like it would be any time soon that they would be returning to those homes either.

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Draco held the door open for Hermione as they came back from lunch. Most of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement employees were coming back from lunch.

"So did you enjoy the pineapple as much as I did?" Draco asked Hermione, smiling at the blush that graced her cheeks.

"Yes, Malfoy I did." She answered as she walked a few steps ahead of him, not daring to meet his eyes. She was almost afraid of what she would see there. She hadn't been this nervous around a man since she'd been dating Ron.

Hermione stopped abruptly when she noticed Harry, Ron, and several other Aurors gathered around her assistant's desk, which resulted in Draco slamming into her back. He tried to move forward, but Hermione's hand caught his wrist stopping him. Cora, her assistant, stood nearby with her arms around her middle, staring at the chaos that was happening around her desk.

Drawing closer she could see Harry was in a snit, "So no one knows where this came from? It just magically appeared out of thin air and landed on Cora's desk?" People started stepping back not wanting to be blamed for this huge mistake.

As the crowd moved back, Hermione and Draco were able to see what was causing the commotion. There sitting on the desk was another red box, wrapped up like the first.

Hermione took a deep breath. This was never good to have packages start coming in so soon after the first. Last time this had happened in Paris, body parts had come in, a package at a time. It seemed that a copycat situation was happening. The case in Paris had been in all of the wizarding papers around the world, so these kidnappers would know the time line of what the other sick bastards had done.

"Everyone step back _now_…except Harry." Hermione's words were, sharp, crisp and loud. Everyone backed off making a pathway for her. Most of them knew not to get in her way or land on her bad side. They all were grateful they weren't the one who had made this current mistake, especially after the meeting this morning where new rules were given of how to handle mysterious packages.

"Harry, who did you leave on duty during the lunch hour? Please tell me someone was here and you didn't leave an empty office?" Hermione's red face and scrunched eyebrows directed in Harry's way made him squirm. He had been in this position before being berated by his friend, and it wasn't a happy place to wind up in.

Hermione could see the wheels turning quickly in Harry's head. As the deafening silence permeated the room, in came a whistling trainee Auror, Williamson. All heads turned towards the man who was oblivious to the disorder happening in front of him.

He soon looked up, "What? What's going on?" The man looked upon each face, from the scared Cora, to the red-faced Harry Potter, and finally to the outraged Deputy Head Ms. Granger. Then his eyes focused on the red package sitting on the desk. Hermione saw the color drain from his face. She knew they had found the fool who had broken protocol.

"Williamson," Harry shouted out his name, "Are you the one responsible for the delivery of this package?"

The trainee swallowed hard and licked his now, very dry lips. The man had a hard time speaking. His eyes shifted from Harry to Hermione and still the words didn't come. Only after the tall, blonde, Draco Malfoy, who scared most people, gave a low growl, did the man start stammering.

"Well, I…you see one of those…uh…muggle postman came in and..." The man looked like he was ready to drop from a heart attack. His pale color and wide eyes showed the fear he felt.

"Were you at the meeting this morning Williamson?" Harry asked walking up to him. "I gave out new guidelines as to the proper handling of unknown packages coming into our office." Harry's voice almost shook with indignation. His hands on his hips and the grinding of his teeth almost were the undoing of the unfortunate man.

"No, sir," the words were quietly spoken.

"Would you like to remain an Auror in training Williamson?" Harry now was at full shouting mode.

"Ye…yes…sir, Auror Potter sir." Williamson squeaked out.

"Then you MUST attend all required meetings and follow procedures given to you. Do you understand?"

"Yes, sir." The young man swayed as Ron grabbed his arm.

"Take him to my office Ron. I'll be there for questioning in a moment." Ron left, dragging along the scared shitless man.

Harry gave out more orders, "Patil and Finnegan, head to the Atrium and speak to anyone who may have seen when and where exactly the package was delivered." Both Aurors left the room immediately, glad to be away from the tension filled office.

"The rest of you go back to your other cases." As they left, he turned to Cora, "Please go and get word to Minister Shacklebolt, personally, about the appearance of this new package." She too scurried away not wanting to stay by the package any longer than was needed.

This left only Harry, Hermione, and Draco still staring at the bright red box still waiting to be opened.

"Harry, before we do anything else, I have a spell that I've come up with that hopefully will help us identify who sent the package." Hermione was so focused on the parcel that she missed Draco melting down in back of her.

Harry spotted it first, seeing Draco's sweaty and pale face, as he started hurling into the wastebasket. He came around holding the man up by his shoulders. As soon as he finished, Harry transfigured a handkerchief out of a piece of paper and handed it to Draco. Then he evanescoed the contents of the wastebasket, while Draco sat down in Cora's chair, the package right in front of his face.

"Thanks Potter," Draco managed to say to the Auror. There had never been any love lost between the two men, but at the moment, the past didn't seem to matter with more pressing matters of finding out the contents of the box.

Hermione levitated the box into her office and quickly scourgified her desk. Setting the box down, she withdrew a pair of rubber gloves from the side drawer. Draco looked at them mystified, but didn't say a word. Next Hermione waved her wand and a huge light board came sailing across her office from the closet. "Lumos" was cast that lit up the board.

Harry and Draco stood watching as the witch proceeded to do something they'd never seen before.

"This part of the procedure needs to be done very delicately, otherwise the fingerprints could be damaged." Hermione said casually like she was talking about what she'd had for dinner last night.

"So this is what you said you'd been working on in order to try and identify fingerprints." Harry said almost with awe.

Hermione nodded her head. "Yes, and it needs to be done layer by layer, especially after more than one person had handled a package or object." Her concentration was unhindered by the two men hovering nearby. "Tolle stratum" she started speaking the spell while waving her wand over the box. Each time that she repeated the words, a layer of fingerprints would lift from the package and float over and attach to the light board.

"Hermione, brilliant as ever," Harry said. His admiration for her work clearly showed in his words and tone of voice.

Looking at the board, Hermione could see she had taken off six different layers of fingerprints, which in most likelihood that meant six different people had already handled the box.

"Now what?" Draco asked as he still looked at the box like it would bite him any second.

"Now I send these to the forensic lab where we have already started taking fingerprints of employees and anyone brought in for questioning or violations. They are also starting to take fingerprints of every person brought into St. Mungos and their employees."

Smiling back at both men she added, "By the way, you both need to head down there to also be fingerprinted as you are ministry employees."

"What about the package? Are we going to open it?" Draco stood frozen in place as he looked at Hermione. "I'm not going anywhere until I see what's in there?" His words were spoken firmly and much like the old Draco she had always loved to hate. There was something though, looking at the despair that clearly showed on his face, she knew what she needed to do next.

"Please sit down Mr. Malfoy." Hermione asked motioning over to his normal chair.

"No." He shook his head defiantly. "I'm fine where I am"

"Please, we don't know what may be in here." Hermione softened her tone as if she were speaking to a child.

Harry walked over to Draco, "Malfoy come on..." he tried to grab for his arm to guide him to the vacant seat.

"Get off me Potter!" Draco shook his arm taking a step back. "Quit treating me like a child and get this over with."

"Fine." Hermione said, not happy about the added tension in the room from this encounter.

With her gloves still on, she delicately peeled away the tape, trying not to touch more of the wrapping than what was needed. She took a deep breath trying to ignore the two men who were lingering near her. Using her wand she sliced through the tape holding the top closed. Looking inside, her eyes grew wide and a gasp came out that she wished hadn't.

Draco grabbed the box and peered inside. "Oh, Fuck, Scorpius!" The agonizing cry struck to the core of Hermione's soul. His hands dug in the box and came out with handfuls of hair the same color as the man who was holding it. "What have they done to you?" Draco dropped to the floor cradling the hair against his chest and proceeded to break down with deep moans and tears.

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_**I know I'm being evil leaving it here, but I've already started to write the next chapter. **_

_**-**__**Tolle stratum translates to "Remove Layer". **_


	9. Chapter 9

_**Thanks so much for the reviews by CrazyPhenom, Emmastew, Dracolovesjenni, QueenVictoria…Your insight and words are so motivational! Thanks also to so many of you that are now following Blinded. I love to get the emails telling me of new people that have found this story. Spread the word to your friends if you don't mind.  
**_

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Blinded Chapter 9

_**Last time:**_ _Using her wand she sliced through the tape holding the top closed. Looking inside her eyes grew wide and a gasp came out that she wished hadn't. Draco grabbed the box and peered inside. "Oh, Fuck, Scorpius!" His hands dug in the box and came out with handfuls of hair the same color as the man who was holding it. "What have they done to you?" Draco cradled the hair against his chest and proceeded to break down with deep moans and tears._

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Harry and Hermione looked at each other. Harry looked like he was about to cry or be sick. Hermione did the thing that was very natural to most women, she came back behind the man and put her arms around Draco and held him to her. Her sudden whispered words of nonsense seemed to comfort the man.

Even with how shook up Draco was, Hermione knew it could have been so much worse. Seeing the box full of hair the same color as Draco's was shocking, but it would never compare to finding body parts larger than a finger. That case had always felt like being dragged through the rivers of Hell. Remembering back to that particular case, she recalled that she had forgotten how to laugh, let alone smile the whole year. So, when the packages started showing up this time, the intense stomach and headaches had started again. The worst thing for her at the time was that she frequently forgot to eat and had lost twenty pounds that she really didn't need to lose. Her boyfriend had found her passed out often from lack of food in her system.

Draco's quivering body woke her from her daydreaming. His now quiet sobs filled the office. Looking up she met Harry's pain filled eyes. She never thought she'd see the day when he'd show any empathy towards Draco Malfoy, but there it was. It was amazing what tragedy did to people's compassion levels. Draco's pride and arrogance had been lessened as time had gone by, especially now with his son missing.

"Draco…" she wasn't sure what to say next. She'd almost asked him if he knew for sure if the hair was Scorpius's, but then realized what a foolish question that would be. Of course it was his son's hair. There were only a few people that she'd ever seen with hair that color, and their last name had always been Malfoy. Gods! All of a sudden she felt very incompetent at her job. She didn't know what to say and her arms were still around the man she'd grown up to hate all throughout her youth. Now though, she didn't hate him and wasn't sure how to feel. She had let her armor slip. It'd fallen off and was lying there on the floor for anyone to see. The number one thing she'd been taught from a trainer in Paris was, never get close to the parents of the victims, and don't let your heart lead the investigation. When did her heart take over her mind?

Hermione's arms let go of Draco and she shook out her hands. She was in charge of this investigation and she needed to take back that power. This is something that she could do right now. Harry still stood by Draco staring at the hair the man was still clutching tightly to his chest. Hermione went around to the other side of her desk. Clearing her throat she spoke, "Draco, I'm going to need for you to put the…Scorpius's hair back into the box without touching the sides of the box…please." She spoke in a soft tone, but stated her request simply.

Draco's head came up and looked at her, his eyes red from crying, "Why? I already know it's his. Why do you need his hair? Did you give back the finger of the other victim?"

His words were like a knife to the chest. Nice one Draco. She drew in a quick breath, "Yes, we must keep all pieces of evidence here at the department until the case is solved. There may be more clues that we can gather from all pieces of evidence." She tried to sound as professional as possible while being kind. However, she also tried to let him know he needed to let go of this piece of evidence.

"Do you think he's dead Hermione?" Draco asked. Harry flinched at the question watching her to see how she'd answer this one. Hermione knew he felt out of his element when it came to this case. Everyone had turned things over to her quickly, not wanting to be the one "in charge" of what seemed like an unsolvable case. The weight of responsibility felt heavy on her shoulders.

"No, Draco. From past experience I feel that he is very much alive. This is just another message from the kidnappers." Her face was emotionless, not giving away how she was truly feeling inside. It would be too cruel to say that, no; she had no idea if he was really still alive. Hooray that there were no dead bodies being sent back, piece-by-piece.

Draco snarled, "What kind of message is this exactly when they shave a child's head?" '_Don't take it personally that he's yelling at you_', Hermione told herself. _No emotion. No tears. No showing your own frustrations about this whole case_. The words played through her mind, as she tried to come up with an answer that would pacify him momentarily.

"It means that he's alive and still there with the kidnappers. This means we have a chance of getting him back home." _Merlin, let's hope in one piece with only his hair missing. _The words spilled out of her mouth in one breath. Both men watched her as she closed her eyes and cleared her throat.

With the gloves still on, she picked up the box and walked over to Draco, holding the box out to him. Searching, he looked up into her eyes and Hermione nodded her head. Draco opened his hands up over the box and let the silky, blonde pieces of hair float back into the package. One thick piece of hair was stuck on Draco's shirt. In a swift move, he tugged it off his shirt and stuck it in his pocket.

"This piece is mine." The words seemed to stumble out of his mouth as he stood up from his chair, kicking it back with his foot. "I think I'll be heading back to the manor now." Draco opened the door and shut it without making a sound. The two friends watched as he left in a daze. Hermione also wanted to leave and get away from what was happening in this office.

Harry dropped into the empty chair, his head leaning forward. He ran his hands through his thick hair. "All I could think about was how it would feel if I opened the box and saw my James or Albus's dark hair sitting there." The hitch in his voice clearly showed the emotional turmoil he felt inside.

"Harry, we'll figure this out. Go home to Ginny and the boys. I'm going to be here for a little while longer. I have some things I want to look into." She needed to be alone right now. It was clear that Harry would be of no use to her tonight. His own fears were getting in the way of his usefulness as an Auror.

"Ok, if you're sure." Harry's sad smile crushed her. His shoulders dropped in relief.

"Yes, I'm sure. I think a big hug from your boys' will help you right now."

Harry nodded, "Thanks Hermione." He also departed her office softly leaving her feeling frustrated that she had to stay. All that was left in the room was the box of hair and Hermione. She wanted to scream needing to vent her own feelings of crossness. Even the air felt like it wanted to suffocate her. Why couldn't the damn ministry have real windows that would let in fresh air? The office she'd recently left had an actual window that let in real air. Stupid underground building. Hermione sighed, wishing she had something to drink or smoke. Considering she didn't smoke, and had nothing to drink there in the office, she guessed it was time to get back to work.

Reaching behind her into the file cabinet, she pulled out a file that she expanded. In the file was every note from the Paris case that had involved the many packages that had been sent. She was going to read over all of them and take copious notes. Hermione wanted to get ahead of the kidnappers. If they were copycatting this case, she wanted to remember what she should expect next. It was sometimes hard to outsmart psychotic people, unless you tried to think like them. She laughed at herself, because after working on cases like this she might classify herself as psycho. Who in their right mind would want to keep dealing with creeps that took children from their parents unless you were kind of nuts yourself?

"You bastards are done having the upper hand. No more surprises." She settled back in her chair to start reading notes and looking at old pictures. Something here hopefully would give them the break they so desperately needed.

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Draco was glad that he'd flooed home instead of apparating. He probably wouldn't have made it home all in one piece. He was still in shock from looking down into the box and seeing his baby boy's hair. It was only a few days ago that he'd held his son in his arms and stroked that beautiful hair as his son fell asleep. It'd been the night before his business trip. Scorpius had just wanted one more story, and then another. He had realized that he would be tired the next day, but he hadn't cared. This was his precious boy and he'd do anything for him.

Running up the stairs he headed straight for the nursery. He hated the feeling of emptiness, and how the room almost felt like a shrine now instead of a nursery. This room should be bursting with the laughter of an energetic little two year old, not so silent you could hear the wind whistling through the trees outside. It had always been his favorite part of the day coming home to see Scorpius.

_{flashback}_

"Papa_, Papa, lift me up." Scorpius shouted to his dad with his arms reaching up to Draco. _

"_Hey, my little man! What did you do today?" Draco answered smiling at the boy who now was hugging him tightly around his neck._

"_I's learned how to pick berries out in the garden with Mum. Then she let me eats some before lunch." Scorpius's eyes were full of excitement. "Then we read a story about a magic dragon who taught little boys how to fly."_

_Draco knew that his son loved two things very much, dragons and flying. Astoria hated that Draco always took him flying with him and she doubly hated that Scorp had his own first flyer training broom; even though it didn't go up very high. She was a good mum that worried about him falling so he didn't fault her for worrying. _

"_I may have something in my pocket for you." Draco teased his son who almost bounced out of his arms._

"_What is it Papa? I want to see, right now." His infectious giggles were the thing that made Draco feel alive. He'd never known how wonderful it was to love someone, besides his own mum, until Scorpius had been born. He loved being a true dad to this little boy, and just not a "father" or sperm provider as he'd often called Lucius through the years. His father could have learned a lot from his own son about how to truly love a child. It was too bad he wasn't around to show off what he'd learned. _

_Draco finally gave in to his excited little boy, putting him down to find the prize in his pocket. "Oh Papa! I like it!" In his hands he held a dragon made of crystals that changed colors every few seconds. _

_Scorpius put the dragon down on the floor and yanked on Draco arms. Draco dropped to the ground next to him. Scorpius climbed into his Dad's arms. His pudgy little hands came up to Draco's face while he leaned into him. "Guess what?" Scorpius whispered, "I love you Papa." _

_Draco smiled at the words spoken with so much unconditional love. He was so lucky to have this small boy full of brightness to lighten his life. "Love you too Scorp. I love you so much."_

_{End}_

Draco dropped to his knees by the side of Scorpius's bed thinking back to that day. He had trouble breathing as his chest tightened and he tried to stop the tears again. "Oh please, any God out there…please, please bring my son home to me. I can't live without him." His body bent over the bed, his arms covering his head. "I'll do anything. I'll sell my soul again to the highest bidder. He's so young… and I know he's afraid. I can feel it in my heart." His hand pounded against his chest where his broken heart still throbbed away. Draco looked up, "Please help him not to be scared. Help him feel of my love. Let him still be alive." He almost couldn't say those words, as if saying them out loud would jinx him.

Brushing the tears away he climbed onto the bed, his normal place to sleep since Scorpius had disappeared. Was there any hope left in his heart? Would he ever see his little boy again? There were so many questions and no answers. "Just bring him back home to me." The whispered words faded into the dark room as Draco closed his eyes, preparing himself for another restless night with little sleep.

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_**Oh, that was hard for me to write! Can you tell I was repeatedly listening to the song, "Bring Him Home" from Les Miserables when I wrote this? I hope I showed how much Draco's heart is breaking right now. Things will be moving forward with the case in the next chapter. If you liked what you read, please let me know.  
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	10. Chapter 10

**This chapter has been running through my mind for the past two weeks. Work has been crazy and my boss has been wondering why I've been so distracted. So glad it's finally out and to you!**

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**Blinded Chapter 10**

A month of no true leads had come and gone. Draco Malfoy had gone back to his job at The Department of International Magical Cooperation, and was now constantly irritated with one Hermione Granger. They met up twice a week for lunch to discuss what was happening in the case or the lack of anything happening in the case.

"Still nothing Granger?" Draco asked in a whiny voice. She wasn't sure how much longer she would be able to handle this side of Draco Malfoy. She'd much rather have the snarky and self-confident Malfoy she had grown up with in school. She knew how to deal with that Malfoy, not this shrill and vulnerable one.

"Patience Malfoy. Cases are never solved over night." Hermione answered the man who seemed to live to pester her.

Draco's eyes narrowed at hearing her answer. He quickly took a bite of his sandwich trying not to look at her. "This is taking too long," she heard him mutter. She wished upon every star out there that this case was on it's way to being solved. She didn't need him making her feel guilty too.

They were at their now favorite café where the pineapple and strawberries incident had taken place. It had seemed like ages since the two had flirted with each other. The red boxes had put a stop to any of that behavior. One box after another had come in with the same ammo in them, hair from the kidnapped children. Hermione had almost laughed with relief when the last box of hair came in belonging to the last of the kidnapped children, and hopefully they would stop for a while. What were they trying to say sending all of the boxes full of hair? Was it some kind of joke for the kidnappers? Hermione was frankly bored trying to figure why they were doing what they were. This part of the investigation had greatly veered off from the one that it had been mimicking thank goodness. She felt like they were being played with, and something worse was right around the corner.

"Any more packages?" Draco looked up from sipping his soup. How sad was it that the only thing the two of them could talk about were the annoying packages from the most uninteresting kidnappers she'd ever encountered.

"Draco I've already told you we haven't had anything come in for weeks now. This whole bloody case has come to a total standstill." Hermione threw down the half of uneaten sandwich that was now unappealing to her. She sat back in her chair with folded arms. She knew she was now in defensive mode, but couldn't help herself.

Draco cocked his head and met her eyes, "I'm sorry Hermione. I shouldn't be nattering on about this, but it's just damned frustrating not knowing what is happening to my son and the other children."

Hermione reached out to touch Draco's hand, "I know it's frustrating. It's killing me inside that we don't know more." Draco's hand curled around hers and his thumb stroked the top. At his touch, the instant zing of tingles swept through her down to her toes. Hermione looked down at their clasped hands. Glancing up she caught his eye wondering if he even realized what he was doing. She quickly withdrew her hand, putting it in her lap.

"Would you be interested in going on holiday with me?" Hermione asked.

Draco's head snapped up at the question. "What are you going on about Granger?" He quizzically raised his eyebrow at her.

Hermione grinned back at him. "I'm going back to Paris to meet with my team that solved the other case similar to this one. Maybe, just maybe, they can see something with fresh eyes that we've all been missing."

Draco sat for a moment not moving, and then his eyes flashed with zeal, as he jumped from his seat pulling Hermione into his arms hugging her tight. He twirled her around and around as she screamed in surprise. The other patrons watched them with smiling faces.

"Put me down Draco." Hermione scolded him, while also laughing. "I knew you'd be pleased but…"

"Yes I'm pleased! We're doing something more than sitting around staring at boxes full of hair." Hermione hadn't seen a smile on Draco's face for a long time. There was a lightness of relief in her chest. She had been worried how he'd take this invitation to go to Paris. His mood swings had been worse than a pregnant woman.

"How soon can you get packed?" Hermione said.

"I always have a bag packed. It comes with my job." Draco drawled in self-importance. "I bet you can't say that."

Hermione poked him in the chest, "Guess what Malfoy? You are right!" She winked at him and turned to walk towards the door.

"Where you going so fast Granger?" Draco shouted out with a grin on his face.

"I'm heading back to my flat to pack, of course." Hermione waved as she walked out, hearing Draco laugh as she left.

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Hermione was in her huge walk in closet at her flat. Once again she was trying to decide what to wear on her trip to France. This was a business trip, but she would also be seeing her old friends she'd worked with for years. Hermione also knew she wanted to look good for someone else, specifically one Mr. Draco Malfoy.

She pulled a dress out of the closet, holding it up against her. Smiling in the mirror she tried to imagine what Draco might think about her in this. It was a short, black, lacy dress she'd found in a high-class boutique in Paris. She'd bought it on a whim when her friend, Monique Bonnay, had dared her to buy it. This was when she'd first moved to Paris. She still had a lot to learn about dressing to accentuate her assets. This was the first purchase she had bought that she'd felt was truly daring. It was slightly low cut, and only came down three inches above the knee. Now she wanted to wear it to see how Draco would react. She sassily grabbed several other outfits and packed them for the trip. She was excited to see her old friends she had worked with for many years. This was her power team that had helped her solve many tough cases. She needed them again to help her make a break in this case.

Hermione levitated her suitcase out to the floo. She would floo to Malfoy Manor and then from there, they would take a portkey to Malfoy Offices in France. She was excited for many things: a break in the case, getting to see old friends, and spending some quality time with Draco. It was time to own up to the feelings that had surfaced for the man since she'd moved back to England.

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Hermione came through the floo and walked out into a sitting room. Draco was sitting reading over some paperwork.

"You made it just in time. Our portkey activates in five minutes." Draco stood up and walked over to her. He gave her a rare smile that wasn't often seen on a Malfoy.

"Packing took longer than I thought." Hermione said smiling back at the handsome wizard standing next to her.

She knew the real reason for her almost tardiness. Selecting just the right outfits to impress, seemed to take longer than just throwing things to "wear" in a suitcase. This had been her problem for many years and why she hadn't cared about her looks. She didn't always have the time to care. Between keeping up her studies to insure top marks, and helping Harry defeat an evil, egotistical wizard, there hadn't been much time to worry about clothes, makeup and calming her hair.

"Are you ready?" Draco held out the portkey, which was a large old-fashioned key about seven inches long and three inches wide. Hermione laughed in her head, as she'd never before had a portkey that was really in the shape of a key.

Draco yelled out to her, "Grab on now." Her hand shot out grabbing onto the key. She felt the unnatural tug that propelled her through space. Even after many years of portkey travel, it still made her feel sick and dizzy. As luck would have it, they landed ungracefully, draped around each other.

"Oh that hurt." Draco said as he tried to lift his head up. Hermione's legs were currently wrapped around his neck. Meanwhile, Hermione's face was resting in Draco's crotch.

"Muf, hev, hurf," she mumbled trying to breathe.

"What did you say?" Draco was squirming around attempting to detach himself from Hermione. She was trying to not kick him in the head with her 3-inch heels. Hermione was also well aware what her face was doing to a part of Draco's anatomy. From the frantic movement at her feet she knew someone else was feeling as uncomfortable as her.

Hermione pushed up on her hands and knees, shaking her head trying to shake the fuzziness from the harsh fall.

"You might want to pull your skirt down seeing we have company approaching." Draco whispered nonchalantly. Bending her head down, she looked between her legs to see Draco grinning at her.

"Oh Gods!" Hermione yelped, spying her black, lacy knickers out in full view. "Help me Draco." She whispered her plea to him.

"Help you with what?" a hint of mischievousness in her voice.

"Pull down my skirt…please!" Hermione tried tugging on her skintight black skirt that was currently hitched up around her waist. She felt Draco give a firm tug, unbalancing her. She sprawled backwards into his lap, straddling his legs, while his arms circled around her.

Hermione's old friends walked up just then in the foyer of the offices. Their eyes lit up at the sight of her sitting on the floor in a handsome man's lap.

"Well, it's good to see nothing has changed." Auror Chason Paquin cocked his head as he snickered at seeing his friend.

"Still wrapped up in the arms of a fine looking man." Monique Bonnay, her former partner winked at her.

"How about someone help me up?" Hermione pleaded to Chason and Monique.

"What if I said no? It's rather fun seeing you in such a compromising position?" Chason smirked.

"It's also not the first time either. Right Hermione?" Monique tried not to laugh as she watched Hermione's reaction.

"Humph" Hermione crossed her arms against her chest. She could hear and feel the deep chuckles coming from Draco. He reached his free hand out to Chason, "Draco Malfoy…Pleased to meet your acquaintance. I head Britain's Department of International Magical Cooperation." Chason shook his hand grinning the whole time at Hermione.

"Up you go." Draco said as she felt his hands on her behind pushing her up.

Chason grabbed her hands, "You still don't like traveling by portkey I see."

"No, I do not." Hermione said, looking anywhere but at Draco who was watching her as she wobbled on her heels, and tried to straighten out her outfit.

"Let's show you the way to your hotel." Monique motioned to them.

Hermione stuck her nose in the air trying to salvage some of her dignity. Draco smirked at her attempt as she brushed past him.

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"So is there a reason we're sharing a suite of rooms?" Draco asked as he walked into the large sitting room area. Hermione started to answer then shut her mouth, wondering the same thing.

"I've no idea, but this will allow us to be able to discuss things in a more private setting." Draco raised an eyebrow and gave her one of his lopsided grins.

"Yes, I was truly worried about us being able to have our private time while here in Paris." Draco drawled slowly in a flat tone.

Hermione smacked his arm as she walked by him on her way to the nearest bedroom. "I call this room."

"It's yours." Draco called back from the other room.

Hermione dropped down onto the bed with a sigh. What an awkward start to this business trip. It surely wasn't very professional ending up in Draco's lap. She felt her cheeks heat up as she remembered opening her eyes with her face squished into Draco's bits. It had been a long time since her face had been anywhere near a man's lap, but this truly wasn't the preferred method. She tried to sweep this humiliating experience from her mind. Draco hadn't seemed too offended finding her bum in his face and her face in his crotch. Her head dropped into her hands wanting to die from embarrassment.

"I need to go back out there and act like nothing happened at all." She tried to give herself some encouragement. "The only problem is, I don't know if I'll be able to ever look him in the eye again."

Hearing laughter coming from the outer room, she knew her friends were back to take them to dinner. Knowing them, they would be teasing her the rest of the night about her undignified landing in Draco Malfoy's lap.

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It was so nice to be back at one of her favorite Parisian eating establishments, Restaurant Guy Savoy which was just up the road from the Arc de Triomphe. A few more members of her old Auror team had joined them. They'd just eaten some of Savoy's signature dishes including the artichoke soup dressed with black truffle shavings, accompanied by brioche slathered with truffle butter, and the lamb, stuffed with herbs and potato gratin. For dessert they had eaten the chocolate orb dessert with warm mango coulis poured over it at the last minute that created a devastatingly delicious melting effect. Hermione felt like she was in culinary heaven.

Draco seemed to be fitting in smoothly with her former group of friends. They had been recounting past fun times they'd all had together while working with Hermione.

"You know, it was always fated that Hermione would be the leader of our team," said Monique.

"Well she can't help herself. She is a bossy swot after all." Chason hugged Hermione close and kissed her on the cheek. Draco looked over at how close she and Chason were sitting. He had a puzzled look on his face. She tried to ignore his probing gaze and just sit back and enjoy the easygoing conversation. Too soon in the morning they would be discussing the serious case of the missing children. For now, they needed this breath of fresh air before the uncomfortable work began. Hermione was also expecting the shift in Draco's manner once his son would be discussed. She hadn't told her friends yet that Draco's son was one of the missing children. Hermione had wanted them all to get to know one another without pity being shown towards Draco. He deserved to have this day without that hanging over his head.

She stared at the man who seemed to always be in her thoughts. He was still in so much pain, but he didn't always show it outwardly. He was currently laughing at one of Monique's jokes, head thrown back and carefree. She liked when Draco smiled that perfect smile, which had always made women be drawn to him like a moth to a flame. She also loved the way he wore his hair these days, loose, ungelled, and often falling into his unique, gray eyes. Those eyes, oh my, they were so easy to get lost in and seemed to look deep into your soul when he was thoughtfully listening to you. When had she started making a list of these fine details that made up Draco Malfoy? Was she fourteen again? All thoughts of wanting to keep things professional between the two of them, had slowly been disappearing day after day, and week after week that they had been working together.

"So what do you think about that Hermione?" asked Monique.

Hermione stared at her looking lost, considering she'd been deep in thought making a play list of the wonders of Draco. Gods! How stupid did she look now? "Pardon me? I didn't hear your question."

"She had that 'I'm deep in thought and my brain is currently occupied and might spontaneously combust at any moment' look" Draco said teasingly.

"That's our Hermione," said Monique. "You seem to know her really well Draco."

"I've know her for a while now," said Draco leaning back in his seat. "We went to school together at Hogwarts, though we weren't the best of friends."

Hermione snorted, "That's putting it mildly. We actually hated each other the whole time we went to school." Hermione folded her arms across her chest going back into her childhood defensive mode. She hadn't meant to say that, but after years of thinking it, it just came out.

Draco leaned forward looking only at Hermione, "I never actually hated you. It was only Harry and Ron I hated." Draco said back in his own defense.

"Well, you never would have known it." she snapped back. Hermione, feeling more irritated than she should, stood shaking the table and the wine left in most of their glasses. Grabbing her purse she stalked off to the hotel. Draco's face fell into a frown. His eyes narrowed as he looked down at his plate in embarrassment, while everyone else at the table sat quietly looking uncomfortable wondering what had just happened. Draco stood, dropped some money on the table and left without a goodbye. The silence at the table accompanied his swift departure.

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Draco walked into the suite of rooms slamming the door shut. Reaching up he tore his tie off and flung it onto the table. Hermione stood there watching him, well aware that the man was displeased.

"Draco." Hermione walked behind him trying to get his attention. "Draco, stop I…" she reached out to touch his arm.

He flinched back, "Don't!" Cutting her off before she could say anything else. "I wasn't aware of how much you still resented me from what happened during our childhood."

"Well, yes, maybe I am, but why are you so angry? I'm not the one who called you obscene names if I recall."

"Ha!" Draco glared at her with cold, hard eyes. "I guess Ferret-face is being polite?"

"Oh excuse me, but it's not as bad as being called a mudblood." Hermione's nails dug into her palms as she clenched her fists. She really wanted to slap the arrogance off of his face.

Draco glanced down at her hands, "Don't even think about it, he growled out. Grabbing her arms, he pulled her forward and knocked her into his well-muscled chest. She struggled in his arms feeling the wild beating of his heart next to hers. Still enraged, his face moved closer to hers. Hermione stared at the pulsing vein on his forehead, when suddenly his lips locked onto hers in a bruising kiss that left her breathless, and with an inability to think clearly.

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_**I hope you liked this turn in the story. I know this chapter didn't dwell a lot on the case, but a few reviewers sent me messages saying it was time D&amp;H started getting closer. I agreed! Please leave some reviews about thoughts about the story and how close they should get now. I'm planning on them solving the case soon, with her former team's help. **_

_**Thanks are being sent to those who reviewed last time:LanaLee1. HPFAN, Ilovemagic123, Emmerstew and karinepira. **_

_**Remember to go check out my other WIP fics-Time Changes All Things and Living. I also have a new tumbler account ( .com) so go find me and give me a follow. **_


	11. Chapter 11

Blinded: Chapter 11

The kiss wasn't supposed to feel so good. It was meant to distract her. It was meant to stop her from hitting him again. It really wasn't supposed to mean anything other than…Gods! It did mean something and it scared Draco to death. This had always worried him about Granger. It had been a goal of his to kiss the Gryffindor back in school just because she was so out of reach. He'd always been up for any challenge. Now that they were on the same side, there wasn't a lot standing in his way of finally making a move; he'd just not planned on it happening tonight. The tension from the dinner conversation, and then the yelling match once back at their suite had only fueled the flames. Draco had known instantly looking at Hermione's face that it was now or never.

It had all happened in slow motion, seeing her delicious, plump lips as she bit down into them. Her chocolate brown eyes had beckoned him to draw nearer, even though they were flashing with fire. The delicate hand that was… ready to punch him in the nose, well that wasn't going to happen ever again, he wasn't some lame third year any more. Boom! He had leaned in, pulling her into him and went in for the kill. As soon as his lips had found hers, she'd tensed up, and then went limp as a noodle leaning into him. His lips and teeth mapped out new territory, while his hands were busy running up and down Hermione's back. The moans coming out of her mouth made the blood rush to his head. Any coherent thought left his mind as he held this woman in his arms. Draco clearly felt like he was in a dream, because this couldn't be truly happening in real life.

The pair stumbled backwards as he hit the sofa and they toppled down. Hermione landed hard on top of Draco, but that didn't seem to stop the ferocious snogging that was happening. All inhibitions from either one of them had flown out the window the moment their lips met. The frustration from the unsolved case was being worked through, as their hands were busy undressing each other. Draco stopped for a moment to look at Hermione with her mussed up hair and red, swollen lips. She had never looked sexier to him than right now, especially wearing the tiny, black lace bra that hardly covered up her breasts. Her hands running over his firm chest muscles was sending his mind and body to places he'd only dreamed of visiting.

The hands coming out to push him away, now that was something new for Draco Malfoy. "Stop!" Hermione shouted out as she scrambled off of him. She stood, hair all over, panting for breath staring at him like a scared rabbit.

"What just happened?" Hermione almost screamed the words, accusing him of something he wasn't sure was his entire fault. He tried very hard to look into her eyes to answer her question, but her heaving breasts moving up and down with each breath, kept distracting him. He knew that this could only lead to trouble, but being of the male species, sex talk seemed to tumble easily out of his mouth.

"We were doing what people call snogging Granger," the sarcasm started leaking out. "Some times it even leads to mind blowing sex, that is if you are having sex with me of course."

Draco knew his words would probably; almost most assuredly, lead to Hermione blowing her top. He couldn't help himself really. Granger baiting had been such a fun pastime while they were going to Hogwarts that it was hard to break the habit, and he had fallen into doing it again so easily.

Hermione stood there with her mouth gaping at his words. The red face and the glaring eyes should have been a warning to him, but the hand that hit his face sent the message home.

Draco's head was reeling from the blow. "You bitch! What did I tell you about hitting me again?" His hands grabbed her around the waist and he threw her over his knee. He lifted her skirt up and brought his hands down on her bottom with a loud smack.

"Ouch!" Hermione yelped out.

His hand came down one more time paddling her behind as hard as he could. "That is pay back for both times you hit me." He pushed her off his lap with Hermione landing on the floor in a heap. Draco stepped around her, walked to his bedroom door shutting it hard and locking it. He had dealt with her, and her ever-changing emotions, enough for one day.

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Hermione sat on the floor quite humiliated. She hadn't been spanked by anyone since she was a child, and that had only happened twice. Now, Malfoy of all people had smacked her bum hard and now it was smarting, and her mind was reeling. What had led up to all of this happening tonight? It had all started so well with Draco and her friends all getting along and enjoying the delicious dinner. Then the talk about Hogwarts had started and she had become defensive. Being away from anyone from Hogwarts for years had been so freeing. Coming back to England, and having to face her "friends" and enemies, was so emotionally draining. This case had been the hardest she had ever worked on and the most frustrating. She was falling apart and she didn't like this feeling of being so out of control. The last time she felt this way was actually in fifth year; with all of the chaos that Umbridge had brought to Hogwarts. Hermione had to admit to herself that she only felt like "Hermione Granger" when she was totally in charge of any situation. Tonight she had not felt like "Hermione Granger," but the young girl, friendless, new to the wizarding world and simply all alone.

Hermione stood and rubbed her sore behind. She glared at Draco's door. That man brought out so many different feelings in her. For so many years they had both hated each other. Hermione had actually softened towards him in sixth year when she knew Draco had been under so much pressure. At the time, she hadn't known why, but she had reached out to the boy and they had developed a kind of truce. Though Harry had been after him trying to out him as a Death Eater, Hermione had learned to get along with him in the several classes they had shared. Unbeknownst to their friends, they had actually worked on projects with each other and had laid aside their old rivalries in order to get good marks.

Now that they had been working together again, it had brought up those old feelings she had started having for him during sixth year. Hermione had tried so hard to ignore the glances that Draco had been giving her or the way that he had kept accidentally brushing by her giving her goosebumps. How had everything escalated so much in one day? Hermione dropped back onto her bed with her arms flung out to the sides. She knew what she needed to do before they could move forward working together on the investigation.

"Oh, this is something I really don't want to do," she said out loud. "But I know it's something that must be done."

First, she went into the adjoining loo and freshened up so she didn't look like she had been crying. The last thing she needed was to give him any reason to go back to making rude comments about her. He hadn't done that for years, but they hadn't fought for years either, until last night.

Looking around the room, she straightened out her shirt and gave a sigh. It needed to be done now and she didn't want to wait until morning. She opened her door, walked over to Draco's door, and knocked.

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Draco couldn't recall when he had been this angry. Of all the people to get him in such a snit, of course it had to be Hermione Granger. He ran a hand through his hair smoothing it out of his eyes. After paddling Hermione he was tired. He didn't know what had come over him doing what he had just done. He had never ever spanked anyone before, not even his own child. There had been something about her hitting him again that made him lose his mind. Before he knew it, he'd thrown her over his knee, lifted her dress up, stared at her gorgeous arse and smacked her for each time she hit him. If he hadn't been so angry, he would have smoothed over those tempting round globes that he'd just reddened. He hadn't expected to be turned on by her wiggling around on his lap as he spanked her. It had shocked him so much he had pushed her off his lap and ran into his room. Draco hadn't wanted Hermione to see what that had done to him.

A knocking at his door interrupted his thoughts. Draco knew who it was and wasn't sure if he wanted to open his door.

"Draco, I need to talk to you," Hermione said in a loud and clear voice.

He sat there trying to decide if he wanted to even answer her. It was still really late and he was tired. They would probably end up fighting again.

"Draco," Hermione's voice said again with a more pleading tone. "I can't go to sleep until I tell you something." Draco shook his head realizing that if he wanted any sleep tonight he'd have to hear her out. He got off of the bed and slowly opened up the bedroom door.

Draco leaned against the door frame with his arms crossed, as he stared at Hermione. He wasn't going to make this easy on her.

"Yes? Speak." He said in his arrogant tone that he knew would make Hermione bristle. She bit her lip and scrunched up her nose as if she was thinking of what she was going to say. He knew his demeanor was giving off the effect he wanted.

Hermione gave one of her huge sighs as she glanced up at the top of the door frame. Her teeth continued nibbling on her bottom lip. That was distracting him in a way that he hadn't planned on. It was just reminding him of how soft and warm her lips had been when they had kissed. Draco's tongue came out to lick his own dry lips, watching as her eyes followed his tongue. Their eyes locked onto each other causing Draco's heart to beat faster.

"I…I mean…oh shite," she said in a trembling voice and reached out to pull him towards her. Her arms wound around his neck while her lips pressed onto his. Draco stumbled backwards as she pushed him into the wall. His hands wound through her long, curly hair, tugging hard. Their tongues came out to meet each other in a duel of dominance. He opened up his mouth feeling her tongue start exploring his mouth and he sighed.

She broke the kiss, "I'm so sorry Draco," she whispered so soft he almost didn't hear, but her hands still remained on him smoothing up and down his back making him shiver. His eyes softened as his looked at how sexy she looked when so rumpled, with her wild wavy hair and her blouse askew.

"Forgiven," the word tumbled out of Draco immediately before he started to cover her neck with kisses. "No more talking, Hermione." His words were spoken as he gave tiny pecks along the corner of her mouth, now fully sucking on her lips again. His hands ran down to her arse, starting to knead her pulling her even closer to him. Their limbs entwined as they started thrusting at each other.

Draco broke away, running his hand down the side of her face. "You are beautiful and desirable, but sometimes prolonging a long-awaited climax will make it all the sweeter." He grinned kissing her once more, pushed her the rest of the way out, and shut his door. He leaned heavily back onto the door taking deep breaths. Looking down at his crotch he groaned seeing the bulge in his trousers. He threw his arm up to cover his eyes, and tried to ignore the ache coming from his cock. Draco pushed off the door and went to take a cold shower, wondering if he had lost his mind by turning Hermione away instead of inviting her into his bed.

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Hermione stood looking at Draco's bedroom door trying to suss out what had just happened. Her stinging lips, and that definite ache down below told her she was left wanting out there in the sitting room. She ran her fingers over her lips and wondered if he really had wanted to shag her after all, but was trying to be what…noble? She shook her head feeling a bit gutted and wandered back to her room. Her last thoughts before she fell asleep were the words that had come from Draco's mouth, "_You are beautiful and desirable_." The words kept repeating in her mind as they lulled her into a restless sleep.

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_**I know maybe you wanted more of the investigation in this chapter, but Draco and Hermione had a lot to "say" to each other. There will be more of the serious things in the next chapter, but I hope you liked their "foreplay" as they danced around each other. I always love to hear what you have to say by leaving a short (or long if you wish) review. Thanks for the reviews in the previous chapter and all of the new follows and favorites. **_


	12. Chapter 12

_**A quick update to those who were wanting one! **_

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**Blinded Chapter 12**

Uncomfortable was a good word to use the next morning when Hermione came out of her room. Draco was sitting at the table starting to eat the breakfast that service had just brought up to their suite. Hermione sat on the chair opposite Draco.

"Good morning," she managed to squeak out.

Draco looked up like he hadn't seen her, "Um, oh yes, good morning." Then he bent his head down opening up the paper, and continued eating his croissant and drinking his café au lait. Hermione decided to eat a soft-boiled egg, yogurt, and fresh fruit. The silence during the meal was almost painful.

Draco finished eating and folded his paper. "What are the plans for today?" he asked. Hermione stared at him like she was talking to a stranger, and not the man who had been snogging her face off the night before.

"We're going to meet back up with the team and scour through files from the past investigations. I think you'll be amazed at what they will come up with in a short time." Hermione was truly excited about working with this group of people again.

She stood up and pushed her chair back, "If you'll excuse me, I need to attend to my teeth and then we'll be leaving shortly." Hermione left the room not waiting for a response from Draco and happy to leave the awkwardness of last night behind.

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Draco gave a huge sigh when Hermione left the room to brush her teeth. He stood up to stretch his arms and massage his neck. He hadn't slept well last night, even after taking his cold shower. He had berated himself until the wee hours of the morning about his behavior last night. He hadn't meant at all to lead Hermione on, but he wasn't sure what he wanted to happen now. They were here to hopefully find information that would lead to the kidnappers, not for him to get laid.

His fingers went up to massage his aching head. Not that the thought of sex was a bad thing, God knows he hadn't had a proper shag in a very long time. He and Astoria had quit their marital relations as soon as she had become pregnant with Scorpius. The Malfoy heir had been conceived, so he didn't need to dip his wand in valleys that made him ill. In the ensuing years he had met with a few women on his out of country travels that he'd have a romp here and there, but nothing serious. Scorpius had become the most important thing in his life, even more than his own pleasures. He wasn't sure if that had been the reason why he had stopped what was going on between he and Hermione last night. Guilt always had a way of making him stop and think of his actions, though some wouldn't agree with him. It had absolutely nothing to do with the fact that she was a Muggleborn or that he didn't think she was fit. What he had told her last night was the truth; he truly felt she was beautiful and desirable.

Draco's preoccupation with his sex life, or lack of one, was broken when Hermione came rushing out of her room. She came to a halt when their eyes and met, giving him a shy smile.

"Ready?" she asked.

"Quite. Let's go and get this mystery figured out." Draco put on his suit jacket, dark blue robes, and opened the door. He motioned with his arm, "Shall we? You first Hermione," his impeccable, Malfoy manners never failing. With a quick thank you Hermione swiftly left the room with a smirking Draco right behind.

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When Hermione had said this team of people was amazing, she hadn't been kidding. The layout of their "war room" was one of the most impressive things he'd ever seen. Each person had their own desk and table devoted to one of the major kidnapping cases they had solved. The walls were covered with pictures, names, dates, motives and final conclusions that had solved the case. Some of the pictures were more gruesome than others, and Draco realized how lucky they had been up to this point. None of the children had been sent back to the parents in tiny pieces like the case he had just been looking at. He had only stayed there for about a minute before he had to move away. The children in the pictures had morphed into pictures of Scorpius, his mind playing tricks on him, and his stomach was churning.

"Draco, would you mind coming over to my table and helping me look through this batch of files."

Hermione's voice tore him away from the terrifying thoughts that had been running through his mind. She steered him across the room away from the horrific pictures. Draco collapsed into a chair that was facing away from the mind numbing things he'd just seen. His head slowly came up and he saw the understanding in Hermione's eyes.

"Are you Ok? Do you need something to drink or eat?" she asked. He needed something all right. He needed to have his son back in his arms away from the beasts that had kidnapped and terrorized him.

"Maybe, a cup of tea," was all he managed to say which got a nod from her and an intern ran off to do Hermione's bidding.

Hermione stood and walked to the middle of the room. "Today our goal is to locate every person who had anything to do with the disappearance of the children in all of these cases."

She walked around, pacing back and forth as she talked. This seemed to be a comfort thing that she did quite frequently. Draco noticed the silver high heels she wore today, that made the clicking sounds echoing in the room.

"Most of these men and women should still be in prison, but since some of them were not incarcerated here in France, they were shipped back to their home countries." All eyes were focused on Hermione as she circled around the room, with her making eye contact with each individual holding their undivided attention.

"Here is where we can narrow down our lists considerably. Any that may have had an early release, though I don't know how in Merlin's name that could or should have happened, we need to locate their whereabouts immediately."

Draco couldn't help but be impressed with Hermione's take-charge attitude. Years ago this would have bothered him greatly, but today she was doing this for him, Scorpius, and all of the other children and their parents.

"I have been granted the service of a group of highly trained Hit-Wizards from England, France, Germany, America and Spain. These are the countries where all of these cases were eventually solved by our team, and with the help of the Hit-Wizards." Hermione walked up to the world map that was on display at the front of the room.

"Each of you will be meeting with a team assigned to your case. They will be going out and locating each imprisoned criminal and reporting back to us. In the case that they can't be located, they will once again be using their knowledge of stealth and tracking to hopefully trace them and possibly the missing children." Hermione stood quietly now with a somber face.

"I know that the next 24-48 hours will be intense and we will most likely not be leaving this room. But I thank you for your help…your unpaid help in solving this case." Hermione said.

Draco stood and cleared his throat, "All of you will be paid for every hour that you work this case, no matter how long it takes to solve." Hermione tried to hide her smile, but nodded her head at him. "I have an obscene amount of money and it means nothing to me, while my son is still…out there. Thank you." His trembling form sunk into his seat, while he tried to gain control over his emotions. He felt Hermione's hand lightly squeeze his shoulder as she walked back to the table, his erratic heartbeat finally calming down.

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Ten hours later, the large map now had lit-up red X marks located on various parts around the world. The Hit-Wizards had been doing their part of locating many of the former kidnappers as soon as the team members had a list of names to give to them. The process was working as smoothly as Hermione had made it sound, but sadly the children hadn't been found yet. She knew in all likelihood that it could take the full two days that she had outlined. Worse case scenario: all of their leads running into dead ends.

Hermione had kicked off her high heels hours ago, and still her feet ached from running back and forth between the teams who were working tirelessly. She was impressed with all of them, even with Draco. His emotions had been running high, but he had insisted staying there throughout the process. He now was cornered off with a small group of Hit-Wizards sharing details specifically about the current case involving his son. She noticed that he had shrugged off his dark blue robes, loosened his tie and rolled up his sleeves. Though his Dark Mark had faded, not one soul gave it a second glance keeping their attention on what was important now, and not what had happened in the past.

After watching him today, she could see that he was as intense as she was while working. Most of them had only left the room to visit the loo, as food and drinks were brought in as the day progressed. It looked like no one was ready to stop and call it a day either.

Hermione went and sat on the edge of the table next to where Draco was reading over a case file.

"How are you holding up?" she asked him as her hand rested on his shoulder. His tired, and blood shot eyes looked up at her as if it took all of his energy to even lift up his head.

"I guess I'm fine." Draco said, though not too convincingly. "I was just hoping that we would have been farther ahead at finding them." His hand reached up to cling onto hers, his thumb brushing back and forth sending all sorts of chills down Hermione's spine.

"Don't give up hope. We've made more progress in one day here than we had made in the months before this." Hermione hated admitting that not much had been accomplished after she had first taken over the case.

"Hope is the only thing I have left, and I'm not letting that go anytime soon." Draco tried to smile at her, but it just didn't happen.

"Would you like to go back to the hotel and sleep for awhile?" she asked him.

Draco hesitated, but soon answered, "You don't mind me leaving? I know that you need as much manpower as you can get right now."

"Draco, I know that this has been hard on you. I insist that you head back and sleep, at least for a few hours. Then, if you feel rested enough come on back." Hermione lifted up from the table and reached for her coffee cup. The caffeine was the only thing keeping her going right now, along with the Wideye Potion; she'd secretly taken hoping that it would prevent her from falling asleep. She had to be there and couldn't leave as she was the one in charge of the investigation.

Draco stood up; swaying a bit as if he was tipsy, though Hermione knew he hadn't drank any alcohol.

"Here, let me walk you to the floo," she grabbed onto his arm and walked him towards the double doors of the large room that was now the headquarters of the investigation. Draco leaned onto her like he was ready to pass out.

They stood at the floo, face to face, with Hermione slipping her arms around Draco's middle. "There is some Dreamless Sleep Potion in my large, green bag. Please promise to take some when you get back?"

Draco actually gave her a smile back, "I promise I will." His hand came up to cup her cheek. "You've been amazing today and I'm grateful for everything you are doing to find the children."

Hermione leaned into his hand closing her eyes for a moment, "You're welcome." Before she could finish her words, she felt the firm press of Draco's lips on hers. They both leaned in to deepen the kiss that was part one of gratitude, the other of remembered passion from the night before. Neither one hesitated this time to fully invest in giving of themselves to each other.

Pulling away, Draco looked at Hermione, "Thank you for everything." Giving her one more quick kiss he turned and flooed away back to the hotel.

Hermione stood thinking about the most current kiss and grinned. Biting down on her lip, she remembered how good it was to kiss that man. Rolling her shoulders and cracking her neck she stretched her body and turned to head back into the "war room," even more determined now to get this case solved and Scorpius back into Draco's arms where he belonged.

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_**This chapter wrote itself and jumped in line before my other current WIP. I usually take turns on writing chapters for all of my stories, but this chapter was written in one day and once I started writing I couldn't stop. Thanks again for all of my reviewers and followers of this story. If you know someone who might like to read this, please share the link. Also, follow me on tumblr (My info is on my profile or you can find me there under ssdawning. Please leave a review if you have a second, because that's all the time it takes to leave one! See you soon.**_


	13. Chapter 13

Blinded: Chapter 13

The loud thumping noise was interrupting his sleep. He pushed his head underneath his pillow. Maybe the noise would go away if he couldn't hear it. No, now the loud banging was only muffled, but it was still there. Draco groaned when he realized the only way to stop the infernal noise was to get up, and go answer the door. He grumbled as he uncurled his legs and threw back the cover. As he slept only in his black, silk boxers, the cold air pimpled his skin making him wish he had more clothes on at the moment. Draco ran a hand through his hair, which he could feel lay flat against the side of his head. He'd been so tired last night he figured he hadn't moved much once his head hit the pillow.

He swung the door open to face a mussed up Hermione Granger. This Granger resembled the one from his Hogwarts days, with the disheveled hair and clothes that always screamed she'd been studying late into the wee hours of the morning. Through his deep infused, still sleepy haze, he noticed Hermione looking him up and down with big eyes. Was she really just standing there checking him out? He couldn't help letting his lazy grin wash over his face.

"Never seen such a ruggedly handsome, almost naked man before Granger?"

The look of shock on her face was quickly replaced by one of anger. "Get dressed Malfoy. We've made a breakthrough in the case." She swung around not waiting for any reaction from him and left their suite, slamming the door on her way out.

Draco forgot all about his teasing of Hermione and fell back against the wall. His arms came out to wrap around his middle as he slid down to the floor. His head dropped to his chin as he tried to digest the news. Could it really be true? Did they find the children? Were they still alive? He had expected this group of people to accomplish good things, but to have it happen so quickly astounded him. Scorpius's little face came to his mind. It had been so long since he'd seen his son's smile or felt his little arms wrap around his neck. Oh, he hoped that he would still be alive.

Draco jumped up and ran back into his bedroom. Grabbing his wand he cast a cleansing charm, forgoing taking a shower. His mind kept racing with questions about what Hermione's words meant. If the children were dead wouldn't she had said something to him a minute ago? Or would she wait and tell him the bad news once he was dressed and surrounded by others? He dressed faster wanting to get to Hermione and find out the news, whether good or bad that awaited him. Not caring if he was impeccable as a Malfoy should be in public, he dashed past the mirror without glancing at his figure. This was one day where he was only going to be a dad and to hell with what society thought of him and how he looked.

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Walking towards the War Room he felt part dread and part exhilaration. It was easy to tell that all of Hermione's team had been up all night working on the case. Seeing the messed up hair, blood-shot eyes, and overwhelming smell of sweaty, uncleansed bodies, confirmed the fact of an all night work session. It was hard to stifle his gag reflex when smelling the body odor in the room, mixed in with the smell of cigarettes and coffee on his empty stomach.

"Draco, over here," Hermione called out to him as he staggered over to her designated desk and flopped down in an empty chair. "Do you need some coffee? You look like you're still half-asleep. Hermione smirked down at him. He wondered how she was still awake, let alone alert and making jokes.

"Ah, sure. Is there anything to eat?" His stomach growled in annoyance, as it had been a long time since he'd eaten anything. With all of the excitement in the room yesterday, he hadn't felt like eating much, and now his hunger had come back with a vengeance. Someone walked up to him, shoved a coffee in one hand and a croissant slathered with crème cheese in the other. Before he could thank them, they had walked away leaving he and Hermione alone at her desk. He looked up at her expectantly waiting for her to start talking. She on the other hand was staring at him waiting for him to start eating. Draco tried to figure out how she was feeling by reading her expression, which did not look good at all, since she was good at hiding her emotions while working on a case.

"Draco," she began softly as if she was making sure he was listening to her. "I don't want to get you too excited, because we have not yet located the children."

He tried not to glare at her, feeling his hopes dashing right before him at her words. "Then why tell me you've had a breakthrough?" he tried not to be snide, but it was hard.

She looked at him taking a deep breath, and then pushed her hair back from her face, which now was an incredible cloud around her head.

"We've actually made great progress," she replied back to him sounding a little hurt. "We have narrowed down the past kidnappers to two groups. One is in Spain and the other in Ireland. One group have escaped prison, and the other shows that they never made it in prison while being transported to their home land."

"How did that happen? Who allowed them to slip away?" Draco asked.

Hermione's face scrunched up and she looked upward, "Gods, I've been asking myself that same question ever since we found out about it last night. The Irish authorities have been keeping it on the lowdown knowing that the officials here in France would be furious." Her words came out in a flurry of anger. Her hands gripped the edge of the desk as she explained all of this to him. "It was my last case we worked on and I fully expected everything to transpire without a hitch. I left for England the day before the extradition of the two criminals back to Ireland."

"So, where do we go from here?" Draco now had more hope than a few minutes ago.

"We now send out teams to Spain and Ireland. We go visit family, and places they have been seen around before their initial incarceration." She looked over at him reaching out to run her fingers through his hair that had fallen over his eyes. "Please don't give up hope right now. I feel that we are closer now than we've ever been."

Draco, surprised at her very open gesture, gave her a sad smile, "I'll try. I still want to be helping in any way. Please don't shut me out."

"We won't. I won't. You know I wouldn't do that. You are helping us so much by giving of your financial resources. Any how," she leaned closer to his side where her lips were brushing against his ear, "I want to get to Ireland and thrash who's at fault for letting them go, and kick some Irish arse."

She stood up, winked at him, squeezing his shoulder as she walked away to chat with another member of her team. Draco couldn't help but laugh at her. Every day she kept surprising him, and every day he could feel his walls dropping and allowing himself to grow closer to her.

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Harry Potter sat at his desk, head resting in his hand, wishing he could be out working cases, instead of pushing papers. It was nice to be in charge, some times, but he missed the excitement of fighting the bad guys. He knew that Ginny had been relieved when he had been put in charge of the Aurors. She had wanted him "off of the streets" ever since they had started to have kids. Honestly though, he hadn't confessed to anyone, Ginny or Ron, that he was bored stiff with his current job.

He sat twirling his quill wandless, around in circles, hovering up and down to the ceiling and back to his desk. Harry was a little put out that Hermione had taken Malfoy with her to France instead of him. It wasn't even Malfoy's department and she had chosen the pompous git over him. The more he thought about it, the more disgruntled he became.

His private temper tantrum was interrupted as his office door burst open, causing his hovering quill to fall to his desk, as owl after owl came swooping in with letters held in their beaks. They flew towards him dropping off their letters, and then shooting over his head, circling around, and flying out the door.

Ron came running in quite flustered, "What the Bloody Hell was that about?" The owls proving to be the most action their office had seen in a matter of many weeks. "They almost took my head off as they came zooming in as I was drinking my morning tea. One of those buggers even pooped on my desk while he flew by."

Harry tried hard not to laugh at the pooping owl, especially since he knew Ron seemed to be so worked up about it. It didn't help, as his laughter came barreling out, "How sad is it that the only excitement we've had around here are pooping owls." He bent over from laughing so hard. Ron tried to look annoyed, but then started laughing along with Harry.

"What did they drop off to you?" Ron asked motioning to the letters now sitting on his desk.

"How should I know, you burst in here before I had a chance to open any of them." Taking out his wand, he cast a few charms searching for any dark magic associated with them. "They seem to be clean." Harry still hesitated for some reason, having a bad feeling come over him. Using his wand he slit open the first envelope and fingernail clippings fell out.

"What the fuck?" Ron burst out looking at the fingernails that were falling onto the desk as each envelope was opened.

Harry slit open the last envelope, watching more nail clippings fall out. Tipping the envelope higher, out came a full nail attached to a bloody fingertip along with a note. Ron's face blanched a pale shade, as Harry felt ill. Both men stood staring at the fingertip now lying on Harry's desk. He reached down and opened up the note and read…

_{__Unless you want bigger body parts coming back to you, send Hermione Granger to this location__…__alone. Every day that goes by without her coming, will be another body part being returned to England. The clock is ticking. Tick Tock_**_.}_**

Ron read the note over Harry's shoulder. "Bloody, bloody, hell! There is no way that we're sending her there alone."

Harry felt his brain buzzing knowing that the kidnappers had just upped their game. He studied the map at the bottom of the note trying to think of what would be the best plan of action.

"We need to get ahold of Hermione ASAP. We can't risk any of the children being hurt more."

"What about that?" Ron pointed to the bloody fingertip.

"Send it down to the lab. We still have the DNA on file of all of the parents. We need to ID whose child that belongs too." Harry said.

Ron put a charm around the evidence and levitated it in front of him, following the new guidelines of handling evidence. "I'll take it down. You floo call Hermione." He left, almost running out of the office.

Harry massaged his aching head. "Yeah, thanks Ron I'll do that." Now he wished that he hadn't wanted some action in the office. This case had taken a potentially deadly turn, and one of his oldest friends was now the apparent target.

Walking to his fireplace, he bent down to make a floo call he'd rather never have to make. "Paris Aurors Office"

"Yes, how may I help you?" a rather shrill voice answered on the other end, attached to a face with a rather large hairdo.

"This is Auror Harry Potter from England…"

"Oh my! The Harry Potter! It's an honor to have you call our office."

Harry shook his head, still fed up with his celebrity status this long after the end of the war.

"I must speak to Hermione Granger. It's an emergency and has to do with the case she's currently working on." He tried to ignore the way the woman was gawking at him. "Please, run and get her now."

"Yes, sir, Harry Potter sir."

Harry paced impatiently for a few moments as he waited for Hermione.

"Harry, what's going on?" he heard Hermione ask.

"You need to get back here immediately. The kidnappers sent you a note and a few presents."

"Shite." He heard her shout out.

"My sentiments exactly."

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_**So that's where this is ending at the moment. I'd love to hear from you about anything that happened in this chapter. Some of it was a lot of fun to write. Please review if you feel that owls' pooping on Ron's desk was deserved, or just review if you liked this chapter. Thanks for reading.**_

_**PLEASE go to my profile page and vote on the poll about my story Time Changes All Things and how it should end. I need your feedback!**_


	14. Chapter 14

WARNING: Evil thoughts and implied actions/physical abuse towards the kidnapped children at the end. Kidnapper "T read if you're offended by this!

Blinded: Chapter 14

"No way! You are not going there on your own." Draco crossed his arms in front of his chest. "This is a trap and you well know it." His anger filled up the room as he stormed around.

"Draco, this may be the only way to get to the children." Hermione argued back.

Harry and Ron sat back watching the two go at it with each other. The argument had now lasted 45 minutes according to his watch that he kept looking at. It wasn't that he didn't agree entirely with Draco, he just knew Hermione enough to know that there was no use arguing with her when she had made up her mind.

Ron rolled his eyes and huffed for the tenth time as he watched the two interact. Harry thought he was more irritated at this new relationship that was clearly developing between the two of them, than the fact that they were arguing. Hermione and Ron still had not said a word to each other since she and Draco had returned immediately from France. Hermione had grabbed the letter from Harry's hand, read it, and turned a pale color. Draco had then grabbed it from her, read it and started in on his rampage against her going alone.

"Potter?" Draco turned back to Harry, "Do you still have your invisibility cloak?" All eyes turned towards him.

"Yes, of course I do. Why? What are you thinking of doing?" Harry knew what he was probably thinking, but was going to say no if he asked.

"I need to borrow it so I can go with Hermione." Draco answered.

"No way Malfoy," Ron shot up out of his chair, "You're not a trained Auror. Me or Harry will be the one there with her."

Draco's red face surfaced as he glared back at Ron. Harry jumped in to try and diffuse another argument, "Malfoy, I have to agree, the Minister will never approve of you going into such a dangerous situation; especially because of your position as head of the Department of International Magical Cooperation."

Ron sneered at Draco, while Hermione stood back surveying her friends. Harry hoped that by referring to Draco's prestigious position that he would back down from what he was demanding.

"She can't be there by herself. There is no way in hell that I'll let anything happen to her." Draco's voice echoed in the small office.

Harry glanced at Hermione and he was surprised that she wasn't saying anything. Anyone could tell that things had changed between them the past several months since Scorpius's kidnapping. Just how far things had escalated, he wasn't sure. Malfoy though was going all Alpha-Male on Hermione right now and he was waiting to see how Miss Independent was going to react.

Hermione stepped in between Ron and Draco, who were standing toe to toe right now, and looking like they wanted to punch each other. Her hands came out to push both wizards back a few feet from one another.

"Stop this both of you! We don't have time for any more arguing." Hermione's authoritative voice sounded off. "In three hours the kidnappers are going to start harming the children and sending back larger body parts. I know who these men are now. It all fits together, them being in Ireland and sending the bizarre packages with body parts."

Hermione looked like she was struggling deep inside as her hands went up to her head to pull on her hair. "At first I didn't even suspect them because they were supposed to be in an Irish magical prison. It's not uncommon at all for criminals to copycat other cases, and since none of the children, as far as we know, had been killed, I didn't even suspect the Irish family of kidnappers."

Any of the men in that room could clearly see that Hermione was carrying the burden of guilt for this whole case. "There was a family of dark wizards in Ireland, the MacAteers, who many thought had been in cahoots with Voldemort, but it was never proven. The family is made up of four brothers who would have been contemporaries with Voldemort. Each brother had five or six sons. It is within this family that two brothers and one cousin were caught and put to death for the murder of several children of prestigious wizarding families in France."

None of the men were moving or saying anything as Hermione was telling her story. She kept up her normal pacing as she relayed the information to them.

"I happened to be the one who broke that case a few years ago. There were other cousins involved who were not put to death. It took a few years before they could be extradited back to Ireland. The French Aurors and ministry felt if they were allowed to go back to Ireland they would have help escaping because of the large network the MacAteer's have established there."

"So that's exactly what happened then, isn't it?" Draco asked already knowing the answer.

"Yes, it is. This whole thing is bigger than just a few people. The kidnappings here in Britain started a few months after the French case was solved and the three family members sentences were carried out."

Hermione leaned against Harry's desk with her arms hugging her center. "All along they wanted me. They knew if they started kidnapping children here in England that I'd return. This is all my fault." She almost said the words as if asking a question. Her blood shot eyes looked up to find Draco's.

"Don't you dare take the blame for what a group of evil wizards chose to do." Harry couldn't stand it any more. He knew how this would eat her alive, especially if any of the children ended up being killed.

Hermione kept looking at Draco, almost begging him with her eyes to say something.

"I agree with Harry," Draco said as he walked over to Hermione. "Believe me when I say, there comes a time when you have to not take the blame for what some arsehole, evil wizards decide to do. Whether you were there or not, they would still do what they did, the names of the innocent would just change. If it hadn't been me fixing the vanishing cabinet, it would have been some other idiot who had been conned into doing Voldemort's dirty work and letting Death Eaters into Hogwarts."

Hermione's head came up to look at Draco, her eyes searching his face for his sincerity. "You really mean it? You don't blame me for Scorpius's kidnapping?"

Draco reached out pulling her close into him, his hand resting at the back of her head and messed up hair. He tilted her head up to look into his eyes, "No, I would never blame you for this. That's what I'm trying to say, it was their choice to do this."

Hermione almost looked as if she would start crying, but was stopped as Draco leaned in to gently press his lips to hers. Harry could feel Ron bristle at his side seeing them kissing. He felt like they were intruding and shouldn't be watching such an intimate act between Draco and Hermione. Seeing as how long the kiss was going on definitely confirmed what he'd been wondering about before.

As the kiss finally ended, Draco hugged Hermione into his chest with his arms wrapped tightly around her. "As I said earlier, I'm not going to let anything happen to you. I don't think I could handle that right now."

Harry hated to interrupt, but he knew the clock was ticking away and they needed to come up with a plan that would save the chidlren and not endanger Hermione. "We need to plan this out. We only have less than two hours left before…the deadline that they gave us ends and, well…" He didn't need to say anything else. They all knew what would happen if Hermione didn't show.

"Ron, go inform Kingsley that we need to have an emergency meeting with all Aurors and Hit Wizards present. We need to plan out what happens next. Hermione, your team in France needs to be here with as much information as possible about the MacAteer family, so the rest of us know what to expect. We can't go into this blindly."

Ron mumbled something as he glanced once more at Draco and Hermione, who were still holding one another, and hurried out of the office door.

Harry walked over to the couple, who he now knew were an official couple, "I agree wholeheartedly with Draco here, there is no way in hell that you are going by yourself to face off with this family. They don't sound like they would be that foolish to think that you would really come by yourself. They are looking for a showdown, and that is what we will be bringing to them."

"Harry, please let's at least send an early team right now to search out the area and see if they can locate the children before any of us get there." Hermione pleaded with him. Draco kissed her forehead and rubbed her back at her words.

"We can do that Hermione, I promise. I say let's end this all tonight and get the kids back to their parents." His eyes met Draco's who gave him a nod with a mouthed, thank you.

Wanting to give Draco and Hermione a bit of privacy, Harry left his office to help round up everyone in his department. He never would have guessed in a million years that Hermione would have become involved with Draco Malfoy, but now that she had, he would support her. He never wanted to be on the outs with his best friend again.

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Ennis MacAteer sat on the old couch fuming again. It was always him that had to stay with the stupid brats. Conall, who had put himself in charge of the whole operation, made him feel worthless. They were cousins who had known each other all of their lives. They hadn't done too much together until Conall's brothers, Donnchad and Cillian, and Ennis's brother Domnall, had been put to death in France. They had escaped after returning to Ireland, and Conall had taken charge of the "family". He'd come up with a way to exact revenge against those responsible for the MacAteer family members deaths; mainly against Hermione Granger. Conall's surviving brother, Darragh, was also leading other clan members in the charge against Granger and the Aurors. They had been the ones to kidnap all of the children and hadn't trusted Ennis enough to go along on any of the kidnappings. Tonight they would get what they wanted. Maybe also they could finally get rid of the brats, one way or another. He was tired of the babysitting that he'd been doing the past two years. He'd been nothing more than a dumb house elf cleaning and taking care of the an paisti. He wanted to be there when they finally killed the bitch Granger. Maybe he would leave for a while. It wasn't like any of the little monsters were going anywhere while locked up in their filthy cages. He'd be glad to be rid of them. Ennis still wondered why they hadn't asked for a ransom, especially from the Malfoy family that had money coming out of their arses. That way in the end, they would've been wealthy. However, no one ever asked him what he thought. Some day he would show them he was smart. One of the little monsters started to cry for his dad and he stood to go shut him up. Great! It was the Malfoy brat.

"What do you want?" he smacked his hand against the cage and yelled at the small boy, who crawled back into a corner, crying quietly. The boy's hair was starting to grow back that strange color of almost white, not blonde by any means.

"Are you scared of me? Do I need to take you out and beat you again?" The small boy shook his tiny head and curled up into a ball. "That'll teach you to make noises won't it? Shut up and leave me alone."

He snickered and walked back to the ratty looking couch. Dropping down he grabbed his bottle of Fire whiskey that was leaning against the couch. Taking a nice, long swig, he let out a long belch and scratched his belly. He let his hand wander down lower to his crotch. Rubbing over his trousers he realized what he'd really been missing out on the last several months. He knew what would make him feel better as he massaged himself, wondering how to fulfill this itch taking over his nether regions. He grinned as he stood, unzipping his trousers and letting them fall around his ankles. Then he pulled off his Y-fronts letting his erection spring free. He turned around and walked back towards the cages tugging on his large cock. Maybe tonight wouldn't be a loss after all.

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_**UGGGG, so sorry that this chapter had to end this way. I didn't like writing it either, but these people are mean and evil and only think of themselves. **_

_**If you are reading my rather long story, Time Changes All Things, please go to my profile page and vote in the poll at the top of the is about who my readers think should die at the end of TCAT. It would be very much appreciated and please review too. Thanks for reading!**_

_**an **_**paisti=children in Ireland  
**


	15. Blinded: Chapter 15

Blinded Chapter 15

There had been times in Draco Malfoy's life where he had felt uneasy and about ready to jump out of his own skin. One of those times was when he had sat under the Sorting Hat his first year. He worried about where the hat would place him, because he knew if he was placed anywhere other than Slytherin, his father would find some way to kill him. No Malfoy had been sorted anywhere but in Slytherin. He was grateful that the hat had decided quickly to put him in Slytherin before he quit breathing. It was recorded as one of the fastest sortings that had been done in hundreds of years.

Then when he had played Seeker in his first Quidditch game during his second year. Not only was he playing against his archenemy Harry Potter, but also he knew his father was in the crowd to watch the match, along with his elite "friends." He knew the shaming that would take place if Harry caught the snitch instead of him. In fact, that was exactly what happened when Gryffindor beat them and his father found many ways to make his life miserable at the embarrassment that Draco had caused for Lucius Malfoy.

Next of course, had been when his father had bungled up the mission at the Department of Mysteries while trying to retrieve the prophecy for The Dark Lord. With his father in Azkaban, The Dark Lord had wasted no time in making The Malfoys pay for Lucius's foolishness and ineptness, and Draco had been forced to be marked as a Death Eater. He almost would had rather been killed than go through the pain of being marked and then given the task of killing Albus Dumbledore, his own headmaster at his school.

Additionally, there was the feeling of utter revulsion as he stood on the Astronomy Tower, pointing his wand at Dumbledore, which had made him want to jump off of the tower first. His lips had felt frozen together as he tried to mumble out, "Avada Kadavra", while his quivering hand made his wand shake uncontrollably. He knew he was going to be killed because he couldn't do what Voldemort had ordered him to do. Thank the Gods for Severus Snape, and his Unbreakable Vow he had made with his mum to do the deed if he couldn't kill the headmaster.

Lastly, he had felt that feeling of pure repugnance, when he came home to The Manor only to find Astoria lying dead in the nursery and his only son stolen away in the middle of the night. There had been absolutely nothing he could do this whole time in going out there to save his son. There had been no leads on where the children were, until now. Scorpius was in Ireland and by the Gods, why were they here having another God forsaken meeting to discuss details again? Why were they not there searching for the children immediately?

When Scorpius had first been kidnapped, there had been something Draco had wanted to do. It was dark, blood magic that needed only one finite detail, which was the basic location of the whereabouts of the children. Most "Light" wizards would never even think of using this spell, but Draco, deep inside, still felt drawn to the blood magic that could be performed on family members. This particular location spell was something he had only heard and then read about, but never tried. He hadn't even spoken about it to Hermione, because he knew that she would probably shoot it down instantly. Time had run out and Draco was tired of waiting.

He sat at the back of the room as he watched the many Aurors and Hit Wizards come into the room for the briefing. The great Harry Potter stood at the front, waiting as the room filled up and the noise settled down. As Harry began the briefing telling about the up to date details of the case, Draco made up his mind that moment to leave and go out on his own to perform the location spell using his own blood. He had seen the map that had been sent, showing where Hermione was supposed to show up that night. He briefly glanced her way, noticing that she kept playing with her curly hair as Harry talked. She also was biting her bottom lip, not showing the quiet confidence that she normally did in these kinds of situations. Draco wished he could stay with her, but he knew that Harry and Ron would be there for her. Scorpius and the other children had no one there to protect them. His son had been crying out for him in his dreams so many nights. He didn't think his heart could break any more. Though he hadn't been sorted into Gryffindor, he had gained much from working with Hermione the past several months. He had gained strength and courage from association.

Now he was planning on stealing out the back door and didn't want to draw any attention to himself. Anyhow, he had decided that by the time Hermione was ready to go to her expected place, who knows where the children could be by then. Maybe they were moving the children right now, and he couldn't take that chance. He stood, casting a Notice Me Not charm, and left the room. He was heading back to The Manor to grab a few things in order to do the location spell. He needed a lock of Scorpius's hair, and he would use his own blood. He knew that there would probably be consequences to his actions tonight, but consequences be damned. For the first time in many months there was a little glimmer of hope starting to burn in Draco's soul. That was all he needed to fuel him on in trying to rescue his son and the other children.

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Hermione's head would not stop pounding. Harry would not stop talking. He seemed to be droning on and on and it sounded like a jumbled mess to her. Her time was running out when she would be facing the MacAteer family again. She knew that they hated her. Yes, it had been her that had run the investigation finding them guilty of kidnapping and murdering children. Crazy people like the MacAteers always blamed others for their woes and their wrong actions. No one had forced them to kidnap and murder children. It had been a revenge scheme against families that had bested the MacAteers in magical business and sports. To say that the MacAteers were poor losers was putting it at such a childish level, when what they had done had been so horrific. Hermione still had to take away memories from her head in order to sleep at night after she had been the one opening many of the packages. The monsters had found joy in chopping children into pieces. Thank the Gods the cousins in charge of the operation now weren't so blood thirsty.

Hermione had finally had enough. She stormed up to the front, "Enough talk Harry! This is what will happen." After five minutes of her instructions, they all filed out to go to their designated locations. No one had seen Draco Malfoy who had left twenty minutes earlier. Hermione in her rush hadn't noticed him not being there either. It would not be until later, way later, that either one of them would realize that there is a saying, "Safety in Numbers," that is used for a good reason.

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_**This is a short interlude that had been playing in my mind leading up to all of them heading to Ireland. Next time we will have everyone there in Ireland dealing with the MacAteers. I hope you'll be there along for the ride. Thanks to all that have been reading and reviewing. It is so appreciated!**_

_**Also, I looked everywhere for location spells using blood magic in the HP World. This is a dark spell, so only those Pureblood families would have access to those spells. Right? I did actually find a Wiccan spell very similar to what I wrote, AFTER I had written this chapter. **_


	16. Chapter 16

**A/N: I'm battling with my Muse lately, too much going on in Real Life, but managed to get this chapter out. I am working on the next chapters in my two other ongoing stories, so be watching for them. **  
**WARNING: Evil thoughts and actions/physical/sexual abuse towards the kidnapped children at the end. Kidnapper nudity/masturbation. and violence...blood and gore. DON'T read if you're offended by this!**

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Blinded: Chapter 16

With the ritual completed, Draco felt a sense of peace for the first time in months. Finally something was being done to bring him closer to his son. He knew that there would be hell to pay once Hermione and the ministry found out what he had done, but at the moment he was so far from caring about what happened in the future, his mind could only focus on getting to his son.

Draco went to his huge walk-in closet and pulled out black trousers, black shirt, black combat boots and a black trench coat. At the last minute he slipped on a black knitted cap to hide his blonde hair that always stood out night or day. He strapped on a wand holster around his right arm, and his second wand holster onto his left side. It wasn't often he carried two wands, one being his late grandfather Abraxas's wand, but it worked well enough for him. Then Draco did something most wizards would be surprised seeing Draco Malfoy doing, he pulled out a pistol he'd purchased a few years ago. He found he enjoyed shooting the weapon out on the Malfoy grounds. Tucking the Muggle weapon away in the holster strapped over his body, he felt ready to face the kidnappers.

Draco took the floo to his destination he'd found in Ireland. Leaving the building he took out the parchment that had been part of the ritual. The map was clearly marked with the direction he needed to go. He hadn't always been brave in his life, and tended to show his true Slytherin colors more often than not by only taking care of himself. Things had clearly changed the day his infant son had been placed in his arms and he had looked down into the tiny innocent face. He had vowed that day to always put Scorpius's needs before his own. It was something that right away separated him from Lucius and they way they fathered their children. He never wanted to be like his cold father, who loved himself more than his wife and son, often putting the lives of his wife and son in danger.

The blood magic from the ritual steered him in the correct direction and soon he had apparated to a large, open field. A run down and abandoned building stood in the middle of the field. It looked like it once could have been part of a working farm, but now appeared to only be held together with a string and a prayer. Draco could see it possibly falling down with one strong wind blowing through the area.

Placing a disillusionment charm on his body, and a cushioning charm on his feet, he walked quickly towards the building. His heart chilled as he came near, and heard the sounds of children screaming and crying from inside. Knowing that Scorpius was inside, he tried to temper his feelings of anger and anxiety. The children needed him to have a clear head, as plainly he was their only hope. Slipping through the door, he was surprised at the lack of wards placed around the building. Whoever was behind the kidnapping must be cocky enough to think they'd never be caught. Draco slowly made his way down a dark, and deserted hallway. He followed the sounds of the wailing children. They sounded as if they were being tortured. His jaw clenched as he desperately tried not to let his Black family temper explode out of him. Rounding a corner, he looked into a huge room, a Muggle television set blaring next to a ghastly, flowered and filthy sofa. Empty liquor bottles littered the floor, giving off a rank odor to the room along with the many empty take-away food containers. Looking farther into the room he tried not to gasp out loud. The sight of the many large cages took him aback, but not as much as what he saw inside of them. There they were…all of the missing children.

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Hermione was fed up with Harry and Ron telling her what she needed to do… for the tenth time. She knew what she needed to do. She understood what she would be facing, better than either one of them. Hermione knew this enemy very well. She had been chasing bastards like this for years. Still she had to go through the procedures outlined by the ministry. Suited up with her wand, and a hidden portkey, she was ready to go face down the MacAteers. Despite the note saying to come alone, it was not happening. She knew it would never happen and she knew the MacAteers knew it too. They were not the kind to back down in any fight. Plain and simple the Aurors coming with her were prepared for a fight, to the death, if it called for it.

"Hermione you know the plan and I want you to stick by it." Harry stood next to her before they were getting ready to apparate away to their meeting place.

Hermione looked up at her friend, cocking her head to side, "When I have I never followed the plan exactly as outlined?" Then she gave him a cheesy grin.

Harry rolled his eyes and gave a huge sigh, "Thus, why I said you need to follow the plan. Don't get some grand idea to try and handle all of this on your own."

She acted affronted, "Well, it's not fair that you always get to be the hero and save the day Harry." She knew her words sounded flippant at the moment, but right now she needed anything to distract her from the real danger that she was heading into. Looking around, she noticed for the first time she didn't see Draco and couldn't remember the last time that she had.

"Harry, do you know where Draco is? I can't imagine that he doesn't want to miss being there for this." She looked all around the room at the mass of people getting ready to leave.

"Hey, Ron, did you see where Malfoy went to?" Harry asked Ron who was walking past the two trying not to disturb them catching Hermione's ire at the same time.

"Why would I know or even care about where Malfoy is?" Ron said with a nasty tone. "Can't keep track of your boyfriend Hermione?"

Hermione moved forward with a harsh glare at the ginger haired man, "He's not my boyfriend Ronald." Harry stepped between the two of them as Hermione looked ready to punch her former boyfriend in the face.

"Stop it both of you." Harry said in his most authoritative voice. "Ron there's no need to get nasty with her."

"I seen him leave right after the meeting started Harry," Seamus said as he wandered over to them waiting for Ron who was his partner in the squad. "He seemed in a big hurry."

Hermione felt panicked as her mind went over the many scenarios of where Draco could have possibly gone on his own. Her first thought was that he would go to where they had told Hermione to show up. Draco had been right there reading the note when she had first received it. However, why would he jeopardize the whole operation that could lead to the return of his son? Her mind raced to think of what else would have caused him to leave in a rush.

"It's time Hermione. We need to leave now." Harry interrupted her thoughts. She quickly focused on the mission at hand, and hoped that wherever Draco had gone to he wasn't getting himself into trouble. Not that she didn't think he could handle things on his own, but he hadn't been acting exactly rational since Scorpius had disappeared. As she apparated away, she thought of how she was going to yell at him for leaving without saying goodbye.

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**Warning TRIGGER section warned about above: skim through the beginning of this if offended, but read the very end or you'll be lost in the next chapter.**

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Draco's heart leapt when he spotted that small face he had been dreaming about for months. His curly locks were gone of course, as he had opened the box with his son's shorn hair. It was growing back now, the same color, but it was the bruises on his face that made his anger flare. He knew he would need to stay disillusioned or Scorpius would cry out when he recognized his dad. His heart ached when he saw his son rocking back and forth in the cage crying as if in pain.

The next thing he saw not only made him angry, but sick to his stomach. Next to Scorpius's cage stood a half naked man hitting a young girl about the age of three. The door was open and the girl was yelping in pain as the man was now fondling the young girl as he stuck his grimy fingers in her vagina with harsh jabs. Draco could see the man was planning on raping the toddler as his obvious erection was jutting out from his body. It took a moment and then he realized who the young girl was. It was the Goldstein girl, only a year older than Scorpius. She kicked out at the man as he pulled her legs and lower body out of the cage so he would have better access to her. Trying to temper down the bile that felt ready to explode from his stomach, Draco moved forward. There was no way this bastard was going to rape this tiny girl.

Taking out his wand, he cast the first spell that came to his mind, "Sectumsempra," he yelled out as the severing spell flew forward slicing off the man's penis and leaving a huge hole in the man's stomach, his entrails starting to hang out. He fell forward screaming out in pain as the blood spurted everywhere. The Goldstein girl scampered back into her cage away from the howling man and the bloody mess. The man tried to stop the stream of blood, but his whole lower regions were sliced too deep with copious amounts of blood flowing out. Draco revealed himself standing over the man, who quickly recognized Draco for who he was, Scorpius's father.

"You bastard!" the man sputtered out, "Help me. I'm bleeding to death." Draco sneered down at the man watching as his life force was slowly leaving the criminal.

"Not only are you a pig, but you are stupid,' Draco snarled at him, "You left your wand over there, which I conveniently stepped on when I entered this pigsty. Additionally, I am no bastard. I was conceived and born after my parents were legally married and bound." Draco turned his nose up at the man's words. Scorpius started screaming when he saw Draco reveal himself.

"Papa! Papa!" The young toddler was jumping up and down reaching through the bars toward his father. His little face was squished up against the bars with excitement.

Though Draco wanted to run to his son, he needed one more bit of information from the dying man before he held his son in his arms.

"Where are the others? What do they plan to do to Hermione Granger?" He kicked the man to rouse him, as the blood loss was making him faint.

The man rolled his head towards Draco and laughed, "Ambush…kill her…she deserves to die."

"How you scum? She won't be going by herself. You are all a bunch of idiots! She'll have every bloody Auror from England with her!' Draco yelled at the man.

"They all will…die…won't…know what…hit them." A gurgle of air and blood escaped the man's mouth as his head rolled to the side and he stopped breathing. In frustration at Hermione being in danger, he gave one more hard kick to the now dead man.

Turning he ran over the cage, "_Alohomora_," and the doors swung open as Scorpius launched into Draco's arms. The tears feel freely from Draco eyes as he hugged his son against him. It almost felt like one of his dreams he'd had so many nights of holding Scorpius again. Now it was the real thing and he didn't want to let go of him ever again. He drew back to put his hand up against his little, bruised face. "Hey, little buddy. I'm here to get you. Do you want to go home?"

The cries from the other kidnapped children woke him up from his reunion with his son. Looking at them, he realized he needed to get all of them to safety, hoping that Potter and the other Aurors could keep Hermione safe at the moment. Anyhow, he knew how she would feel about him choosing between her or the children. Draco went and unlocked the rest of the cages, only having a hard time trying to coax the Goldstein girl out of cage, having been so traumatized. He walked half a mile with the children, carrying Scorpius in one arm and the Goyle baby in the other arm. Setting them down he sent off a Patronus charm to the ministry, using his now happy memory of holding an alive Scorpius in his arms after so many months.

Several Aurors apparated to them, surrounding Draco and the children who stood huddled together, shivering. At the center stood Harry Potter who looked surprised to see Draco Malfoy there.

"Why the fuck are you not with Hermione, Potter?" Draco yelled out at Harry.

"That's a bad word Papa," Scorpius said looking up at his father. It would have been funny, except now Hermione had one less powerful wizard to protect her.

"Ron and the others are still with her. No one has shown up yet."

"It's a set up you git! They are planning an ambush, no talking involved; only killing. You need to get back to her now!" Draco felt the dread rise within him. Harry now looked panicked.

"The children all need to be taken to St. Mungos. I'm going with you Potter. We need to get back to Hermione now before it's too late." Scorpius started screaming when one of the Aurors started picking him up.

"Scorp, it's OK. Papa will be back in just a bit." Draco knew he needed to reassure his son, but at the same time he realized the other part of his heart was in danger, seeing it was currently with Hermione. The tears were trailing down Scorpius's dirty face, leaving marks of clean skin showing through. It made his heart ache to let his son go ahead without him, but he knew what he needed to do.

Giving a kiss and a hug to his son, Draco nodded, and the Aurors apparated away with all of the children.

"Let's go Potter, someone I care about needs our help." Harry nodded, trying not to grin, already knowing that Hermione felt the same way about the man standing next to him.

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_**The showdown is next. What will happen? I hope you liked the rescue of the children and the reunion between Draco and his son. **_


	17. Chapter 17

WARNING: Blood/Gore ahead after fight with MacAteers!

Blinded: Chapter 17

It had been quite baffling to have Harry called away right before they left. What was going on that was more urgent than where they were going? With Ron by her side they disapparated a half mile from where the map had shown. They were not going to trust anything the MacAteers said. They were putting their faith in that the kidnappers would not harm the children, which was their only bargaining tool. If they wanted Hermione, they would need to hand over the children.

There were disillusioned Aurors stationed all around the perimeter of the area that the MacAteers had said Hermione needed to come to. The team of French Aurors also had been included in the set-up, considering it was under their jurisdiction that the foul up had happened and the criminals had escaped coming from France to Ireland.

Hermione was wearing protective gear and had shields in place that would protect her against many curses, except of course the Killing Curse. Funny enough, it wasn't even bothering her right now that Ron was sticking by her side as if they were still close as they had been at the end of the war; before he had cheated on her. With the lives of the children on the line, something petty like that wasn't on Hermione's mind. In all of these cases the children came first before any of the adults.

"Are you nervous?" Ron looked over at her, "That was a stupid question, you don't need to answer. He looked over at her standing nervously at her side.

Before Hermione could answer he spoke again, "Funny thing, I think you were always the most brave out of our trio. I know that most people thought that Harry was the hero, but it was always you that had the courage to plan things out and make us follow through with our wild ideas."

Hermione was almost dumbfounded by this change of events. She never thought she would ever hear Ron say anything nice about her or to her ever again.

"So are you only saying nice things to me because you know I could die tonight?" she said with a false laugh.

"Shite Hermione, don't joke about that." Ron glared at her in anger. "I'm sorry, OK? I don't ever expect you to forgive me for what I did." Ron looked at her like they had never broken up after many months of fighting and then his nights of infidelity. His softness towards her was almost scaring her, like he had a premonition that she wouldn't make it out of this alive.

"Look Ronald, now is not the time to discuss our past. Maybe later after this is all over." Hermione knew that maybe later would never come, but she really didn't have the emotional stamina to deal with him and his hang-ups. She had moved on years ago. She may have forgiven him, but she would never forget how he had humiliated her over and over again. Far as she was concerned, she was done with this particular Weasley. If she survived tonight she would be pursuing others things with one particular wizard.

"It's time Ms. Granger." One of the French Aurors came to her side. Hermione nodded and followed the man. Ron hurried behind them, not wanting to leave her alone right now with Harry gone who knows where at the moment.

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Xxxxxxxxxxx...**Trigger Warning!**

Draco and Harry apparated in just moments after Hermione and Ron had left. Draco looked around the group of people not seeing Hermione anywhere.

"Where is she?" Harry demanded shouting at anyone within hearing distance.

"They've already left Sir; only about two minutes ago." one young Auror said as he stepped forward. "Auror Weasley was with her and her French team of Aurors."

Harry and Draco looked at each other with worry. They both knew that every second counted as far as keeping Hermione safe. If Draco was right, Hermione, Ron, and her team were heading into an ambush where they might not make it out alive.

"Let's follow Potter." Draco said without any hesitancy.

"OK, Malfoy." Harry nodded to his once enemy, who now he had to trust fully if they all wanted to come out of this alive.

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As soon as Hermione, Ron and the others apparated to the location, spells were flung towards the small group. Ron rolled away on the ground coming up shooting off his own spells. One of the French team went down with a direct hit in the chest, the green light from the killing curse brightening the sky. Hermione panicked as she saw one of her old friends being killed. An arm went around her neck dragging her backwards, choking her so she couldn't cry out. The wand digging into her back stopped her from moving. Hermione went to reach for her wand, but a large hand wrenched it away from her throwing it away in the grass.

"Granger, thanks for coming to our party." The rough voice with the Irish accent spoke in her ear, as his foul breath could be smelled in the clear, night air. Before Hermione could scream or try to wrestle the large man off of her, they apparated away into the night.

Ron and the others were still fighting the remaining criminals who were shooting off spells to kill, not maim. It wasn't until he fell behind a large rock that he turned around looking for Hermione.

"Oh Gods!" He poked his head up to look over the field, but ducked down as another curse came shooting his way.

One of Hermione's French friends, Chason, came crawling up to him. "Where is Hermione? I can't find her anywhere?" The man's concerned face probably matched his own. This was not good and they both knew it. They had been responsible for looking out for Hermione, and he didn't want to think about what Harry or God forbid, what Draco would do.

Draco and Harry apparated in, diving down as the fight was in full swing. They both being great fighters were able to defend themselves, sending off curses in the direction they were coming from.

"I told you Potter!" Draco yelled at Harry, "This was a setup…an ambush."

Draco looked around, and tried kneeling up to see across the field, but had to duck back down as more curses came their way. "Where's Hermione?"

He noticed Ron and Chason were silent as they both glanced his way. Draco's inner sense told him the answer before either man could speak a word.

He crawled over to Ron and got into his face, "Where is she Weasley?" Harry also came closer as they still fought, but his face also showed the same distress that Draco was feeling.

Draco shoved his wand at the ginger haired Auror, "I asked you a question, where is she?"

Ron aimed his wand back at Draco, "I don't know. Nether one of us knows where she is." Ron looked over at Chason, who nodded his head at his words, the guilt written all over their faces.

"Are you fucking kidding me?" Draco yelled out as he kneeled up to throw more curses at the MacAteers, who were not backing down. "You were supposed to be backing her up; protecting her." His accusation hung there with no one saying a word.

"Or did you want her to be taken? Do you still hate her so much that you want her to die?" Draco was furious and wanted to strangle Ron.

Harry had to crawl between the two men. "When was the last time you saw her Ron?" Harry wanted to smack his friend too when all he got was a blank look from his friend.

"It was right before we apparated to this location. As soon as we got here the curses started coming towards us." Chason said as he too was still fighting, slinging spells as fast as he could.

"What about all of the Aurors that were sent ahead to scout out the area? Where are they?" Harry asked starting to feel an overwhelming sense of dread about the people under him in his department; his co-workers and friends could all be dead.

"We haven't been able to tell Harry," Ron said, "What you see here is all that we've been able to see."

Draco's stomach felt like he wanted to hurl. The MacAteers had Hermione and none of them knew where they had taken her. Maybe she wasn't even still alive. According to Ennis they planned on executing her tonight. However, the fugitive hadn't said how or where it would take place.

The curses stopped coming their way as they heard the sound of people apparating out of the field. It was now silent, except for the sound of moaning coming from various spots around the countryside. The remaining people, not harmed, stood and looked around at the devastation.

Harry stumbled around as he went from one body to the next, "No, no!" His voice rang out as he found one dead Auror after another. "Oh, dear God, they devastated our unit." Harry fell down on his knees, his hands in his hair as he bowed his head.

Ron wandered around the perimeter of the area where the early scouts were supposed to have been. "Harry, I found the early…" and then the sound of someone vomiting could be heard, as Ron bent over. Draco ran to help Harry up as they walked over to Ron who was still hurling into the long grass.

"Oh mother of fucking Merlin!" Draco yelled out. Now he understood better what kind of monsters they were dealing with. Hermione had tried to explain to him and the others, but they couldn't have imagined what was lying out in front of them. Laid out in a straight line were the headless and disemboweled bodies of the twelve Aurors that had been sent out early. Now, these same beasts had Hermione, who knows where, and here they were standing around staring at their gruesome handwork.

Chason stood staring at the bodies, "She's dead. There's nothing we can do." The shock was apparent on his face, as he couldn't stop looking at the headless bodies.

"Don't say that!" Draco screamed at Chason and anyone else still alive who was near him. "I'm not giving up! We're going to find her. She's counting on us." He looked from one man to another. The looks of doubt and worry creased their brows, and suddenly Draco felt very alone.

"Don't just stand there, we need to go and try to find her," Draco pleaded with Harry.

"Where Malfoy? Where in the Bloody Hell do you think they took her?" Harry looked beaten like there was no use in even trying.

Ron reached up with his sleeve to wipe the vomit off his face. "Malfoy, we can't follow them, they had no trace on them."

Draco whipped his head round looking to Harry, Ron and Chason, "So this is it? We're just going to let them kill her?" His voice screamed out at them. "Look at your Aurors! Look at what they do to their enemies. They wanted Hermione. They blame her for the killings of their brothers and cousin."

His voice was scratchy and sore from yelling so much. "The longer we stand around chatting about this, the sooner it'll be when they torture and kill her." He could feel the beads of sweat building on his brow, and his hands fisted in a tight grip. He wanted to hit someone. He needed to do something and standing here was not helping. His hands went up to grab his chest, as he felt a tremendous ache there. He wondered if the pains in his chest were from anxiety, or he was really having a heart attack.

The sounds of apparition broke the silence as a medical team came in from St. Mungos. Seamus Finnegan came limping up to them, his leg dragging and his head dripping with blood. "I alerted the Ministry." His eyes filled with tears. "My whole team is dead." Ron came over to put his arms around him, helping to hold him up.

"Potter!" Draco said, "Get a team of Hit Wizards and come with me. I think I may know where they took Hermione, but they are going to be beyond angry when they find their man who was holding the children."

"What are you talking about now?" Harry looked confused as he tried to piece together what Draco was telling him.

"I forgot to tell you what happened when I found the children." Draco muttered as he looked down at the ground.

Harry ran his hands through his hair, "Do I even want to know this?"

"I had to kill one them. He was ready to rape the little Goldstein girl. Gods Harry, she's only three. I had to do something." Draco could see the disgust in Harry's eyes, knowing he felt the same way Draco had at the thought of someone doing something so hideous to a toddler.

"What did you do to him?" Harry knew the former Death Eater probably knew spells that most wizarding people wouldn't dream of using.

"Sectumsempra, " was all Draco said to answer him. Harry's face paled as Draco could see him thinking back to his and Harry's altercation in the bathroom back at Hogwarts all of those years ago. "I sliced him clean open with his cock left on the floor."

Harry looked dumbfounded at the thought, as he winced at Draco's words. He knew the MacAteers would only be more murderous once they saw what someone had done to one of their own.

"Then it's even more vital that we get to Hermione right away." Harry looked over to Ron and Chason. "You two are coming with us." Sending off a Patronus to the ministry, it took only a few minutes to have twenty Hit Wizards ready to apparate with them to look for Hermione.

Draco only hoped that by the time they got there, Hermione would still be in one piece and breathing. Looking up to the sky, he prayed to whatever Gods were out there that they would give them some help to defeat these miserable bastards. He'd finally found someone he wanted to make a life with and he'd be damned if she was going to slip away from him. Why did his life always have to be so messed up? He had Scorpius back and now Hermione's life was in danger. There were so many things that he wished he'd done differently. He should have taken the body with him and not left it there. The only thing that had been on his mind was getting the children to safety. This scenario hadn't even crossed his mind that his actions would somehow affect whether Hermione lived or died? He shook his head, no, he wouldn't blame himself. The MacAteers had planned on killing her tonight regardless of what he did or didn't do. He needed to focus on getting in there and saving her.

"We're going to apparate in to where we found Malfoy and the children." Harry told the awaiting team of Hit Wizards. "According to Malfoy, it is about a mile from where he found the children, which he said looks like where the operation was headquartered." The tension could be felt in the air as they looked around at the dead bodies being gathered by ministry and staff. They knew what they were headed into to. They also now knew what kind of people, no animals, they were dealing with.

Harry spoke in a loud voice, "On my count…ready, 1,2,3," and the sounds of apparition echoed in the cold, dark night.

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_**Yes, I know what you're going to say…another cliffhanger! Of course I had to do this. I hope that this fight was more exciting than the last chapter. There will be more to come in chapter 18. Please leave some reviews for me. I need some encouragement to keep writing. My stubborn Muse thinks she's in charge and I need help wanting to write. Remember to go check out my other WIP- Time Changes All Things (Tomione) and Living (Snamione). If you want something more light and fluffy, you'll want to read my Hermione/Cedric story, Counting Fingers, Counting Toes. Thanks for hanging in there with me!**_


	18. Chapter 18

**Warning: graphic scene with a dead body and gore!**

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Blinded Chapter 18:

Looking around her surroundings, Hermione was quite surprised. This wasn't what she was expecting. In fact, she had expected to see a long and very sharp knife, then feel extreme pain and then be dead. The MacAteers were wizards, but they loved their Muggle weapons, especially knives. The French kidnappings and murders had proven over and over again, that knives were the number one choice in weapons used by the MacAteer family, followed by axes and whips.

The man holding her dragged her across the dirty room, with her feet bumping into trash along the way. The smell of cheap wine, greasy food, and excrement almost made her hurl. Whoever had been living here didn't care one whit about cleanliness. The strong arms continued pulling and yanking on her hair. Hermione tried not to gasp as she looked round the room eyeing the many filthy cages full of ripped clothing, blankets and toys. Her heart sunk as she realized what, or who had been in the cages. This is where they had been keeping the children. But, where were they now?

Coming to a stop in front a cage, her kidnapper shoved her forward and Hermione fell hard to her hands and knees. In front of her was a gruesome sight; a dead man with his stomach split open and blood everywhere. She could tell what spell had been used, Sectumsempra, especially after seeing the state of the man with his intestines spilled out and cock lying to the side. She shuddered as her hands slipped in the pool of blood surrounding the dead body.

"Meet my cousin Ennis, Granger," the man growled at her, "He was guarding the children when one of your friends came callin' and didn't turn out to be too friendly." His words rolled around in her head as she tried to figure out what had happened. Who would have found out where the children were and come on their own? She tried to kneel up, but was shoved back down, spattering blood over her clothes and face as she fell into the mess in front of her.

Her mind raced as she put the facts together and her breath hitched…Draco! He would have been the only one to figure this out. He had left early, used some kind of location spell, probably dark, and then came for the children, who hopefully were all safe now. He also was one of the few people who knew about the spell Sectumsempra, save Harry and Snape. She remembered back to one night after a very exhausting day of no clues being found. Draco had mentioned a family spell, using blood magic, which could help him locate Scorpius, if he at least knew the general area where he was being held. At the time they had no leads indicating at all what country the children were even being held in. The pieces came together that night in Paris when they had narrowed it down to two groups of possible kidnappers. Draco being as intelligent as he was, probably had things planned out before they ever left Paris.

"The children, where are they?" she spoke up knowing it would probably just anger the men even more, but she needed to know.

"That's what we were hoping you would tell us? Seeing it was one of you that came in here and did this." The man shouted angrily at her. She couldn't get a good look to see which one of the MacAteers it was running the show at the moment.

Her heart leapt with joy when she realized that they had no idea where the children were either. That meant that they were safe and away from this crappy hellhole.

Once again she was roughly dragged up and thrown against the wall, hearing something crack on impact. Chains magically came out binding her hands and feet.

"You are on trial Hermione Granger for the deaths of Donnchad, Cillian, Domnall, and now Ennis MacAteer." The man poked his finger in her face as he accused her of her supposed crimes.

"You will face our judgment and be put to death if found guilty…which I'm pretty sure that'll be the outcome." The chorus of laughter and crude taunts could be heard around the room, as the MacAteer clan encircled her.

"Connall MacAteer, I should have known it was your clan behind the kidnappings," Hermione said spitefully to the man.

Connall's hand came out to smack Hermione across the face, her head bashing painfully back into the wall. She could feel a trickle of blood sliding out of her mouth and down her face.

"Shut your fucking mouth! You don't get to talk here unless I say so."

Hermione could swear she could see steam rising from his anger. The rest of the clan surrounding she and Connall looked at her with the same deathly stare. She knew she should be grateful for Conall's dramatics right now instead of being killed immediately. It all depended on what kind of torture was in store for her. If they had been Death Eaters, she knew that Crucio would have been used. These Irish wizards would use Muggle methods of inflicting pain, dragging it out for maximum effect. Maybe she would change her mind later wishing they had killed her sooner.

The small glimmer of hope at the back of her mind kept saying that Draco and Harry would be here soon. Draco knew where this building was and could bring the Aurors to rescue her. Another blow to the head came where she saw stars. Merlin, she hoped that Draco and Harry were on the way, because that last glimmer of hope was on it's way to being extinguished.

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Draco was filled with dread as he once again stared at the large building in the empty field. Had it only been hours ago that he had gone in and found his son and the other children? The happiness at finally finding his son, had turned into panic once they realized that Hermione's life was now in danger.

He wanted to go storming in and end this quickly, but Harry was in charge and knew better how to deal with men like this. Hermione had claimed the same thing, but look where she was right now.

Harry was off to the side whispering to the captain of the Hit Wizards when he looked up to him and pointed towards Draco. Both men came walking over within seconds.

"Malfoy, you need to give us a crude drawing of the inside of the building. We need to know what to expect once we get inside." Harry's hand came out to steady Draco watching how all of this was affecting him.

"We're going to save her, but you need to keep a clear head right now. We can't go in there without this information or we'll all be dead."

Now Draco knew why he hadn't wanted to become an Auror after the war. Hell, this is why he made a truly awful Death Eater too. He'd much rather just stay out of sticky business like this; but seeing as how he'd been pulled into all of this months ago, he had no choice.

Once Draco had sketched out the layout, the team of Hit Wizards was called together and given assignments. Harry came back over to Draco, along with Ron and Chason.

"You three are going to stay with me. The Hit Wizards will be taking out the clan members. Our job is to rescue Hermione."

Harry finally looked like the Harry Draco had seen during the war against Voldemort. There was no doubt why Potter had been the youngest person ever to be placed in charge of the Auror Department. He was a leader and people listened to him and trusted him.

Draco looked over to Ron who was glaring back at him. His face scrunched up in a grimace that clearly showed how he felt about Draco. It was nothing new, considering he felt the same way about Weasley. Hopefully, Ron would put aside his petty feelings about he and Hermione and concentrate on saving the woman.

"Have you ever heard of the saying, 'Shoot to kill'?" Harry looked at the three baffled wizards, "It's a Muggle saying…oh damn." He rolled his eyes and looked upwards, while running his hands down the sides of his face.

"So, in other words, Avada their arses if they get in our way," Draco said not needing any other instructions.

"Yeah Malfoy, that should be an easy one for you" Ron said as he coughed into his hand, "Death Eater".

"Fuck off Weasley," Draco yelled back as he went towards Ron, reaching out to punch him.

Chason got in the middle of the two men pushing them back from each other. "Enough with you two Testosterone-charged bulls. You can fight over the girl once we save her, or they may be nothing left to fight over."

Chason's red face and harsh words seemed to work in calming both men down. "You saw back there how the MacAteers work? By the time you both are done with all of this bullshit, there will be nothing of Hermione left to rescue."

A frustrated Harry pushed on Ron, heading towards the building, "You are my partner, so don't leave my side." The two Aurors walked off together, with Ron still complaining as he whispered to Harry.

Chason shook his head as he watched Hermione's old friends walk away. "That means you are with me Draco."

Chason started to walk away, but turned around when he realized Draco was still standing there. He sighed and walked back to the tall, somber man.

Draco stared out into the dark night as he spoke quietly.

"I think I love her. Why does it always take for something like this to happen before you realize that?"

Chason gave a quiet laugh, "Well, its about damn time that you realized it; her too. We all picked up on it the first night we watched you together."

Chason touched Draco's shoulder, steering him towards the building. "Let's go save the woman that you love."

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_**Really, the rescue happens in the next chapter, I promise…because I've already started writing it! Please review! Thanks to all of you that reviewed the last chapter. Do you want to see more conflict between Ron and Draco? There will be good things ahead! Thanks for reading.**_


	19. Chapter 19

**WARNING: Blood and violence ahead!**

Blinded Chapter 19

As soon as Draco stepped back into the building where he had found his son, he felt chilled. This was an evil place that any good person would be able to tell. Children had been tortured here, and who knows what else had happened. His mind didn't even want to go there at the moment. He had to stay focused on why they were there, to rescue Hermione.

Stepping quietly through the mess at the entrance wasn't the worst thing, but hearing a woman give out a blood-curdling scream was heart stopping. The crack of the whip also made him hurt inside. Thank the Gods that she was alive he kept telling himself, but what torture was she going through right now?

They had already decided that they couldn't go running in with a surprise attack, or the MacAteers would probably kill Hermione outright. They had no leverage, nothing to bargain with, now that Draco had rescued the children. The MacAteers held all of the cards in their hands. They had wanted to capture Hermione, and now she was at their mercy. Another crack of the whip and more screams made Chason reach out and forcefully hold Draco against the wall with both hands. Chason shook his head at him, whispering, "Don't, you'll get her killed. We need to wait."

None of them were supposed to move in until they heard from the leader of the Hit Wizards. Until they were all in place and able to rescue Hermione by taking down the MacAteers, they had been commanded not to rush in like fools. Between the lack of sleep and the adrenaline running through him, he felt very much on edge. He hated just standing there, listening to them hurt Hermione and he not being able to do anything. Once again in his life he was failing Hermione Granger by not being able to step in and stop her torture. Gods, it was like he was back at the manor all over again. To stand and listen to her being tortured almost killed him when he was younger, especially because it had been his aunt doing the dirty deed. Now he didn't want to stand around and let this happen to her again.

Draco was tired of listening to her screams and the laughter from the MacAteers. Carefully looking around the corner his heart stopped for a moment. The kidnappers had her strung up from the ceiling, arms overhead with her body dangling and twirling. A circle of men around her were whipping her with leather horsewhips. Hermione's shirt was hanging in rags from the excessive use of the whips. The blood flowing freely down her back was now forming in a small pool at her feet. Draco not normally squeamish felt his stomach turn at the sight. Chason standing next to him looked pale as he watched his friend dangling and bleeding.

"We can't wait any longer. If this continues she'll die from blood loss." Draco expressed his concerns to Chason. He felt the panic bouncing through him, especially when he saw that same fear in Chason's eyes.

"Fuck this…Hell hath no fury!" Draco yelled as he ran out into the open, wand raised.

The dreadful curse that he never wanted to associate with himself again came out of his mouth, "Avada Kadavra!" The curse hit the man who was in the process of raising his whip. He fell face forward into the pooled blood.

The shock from Draco's surprise attack opened up utter chaos as MacAteers, Aurors and Hit Wizards started battling. Harry Potter came out of hiding taking the closest kidnapper out with a severing charm across his chest. Nothing stopped him, even while being drenched in his enemy's blood. He noticed Ron Weasley fighting on the other side of the room, quickly taking down his opponent. If he had to be here with anyone to rescue Hermione, at least it was with the people who had taken down the most evil wizard of their time. They knew what they were doing, despite them being dumb shites when it came to personal relationships.

Draco tried to make his way closer to Hermione who clearly was passed out, and hopefully not dead. He tried to keep her always within his eyesight as he battled someone.

"Malfoy," someone screamed out his name sending a Stinging Hex his way. Draco easily shielded himself while thinking, 'Amateur'.

Again he heard his name being shouted out as he sent a blasting curse towards one of the MacAteers. Once he was disposed of, he turned towards the man summoning him.

"Malfoy, was it you that found the brats?" asked Conall MacAteer. Draco remembered this man's face from pictures that had been put up before they'd left to come here. He was supposedly the man in charge of family business now.

"How do you know me?" Draco asked back as the two men kept sending hexes back and forth.

"You don't think I would recognize that hair color? We looked at that same color of hair for many months as your son was a guest here." Conall sneered at Draco, which only made Draco's blood boil even more than it had earlier while waiting around for the signal.

"You're a disgusting piece of shite MacAteer," Draco spit back while he sent a knockback jinx towards Conall.

Conall flew backwards, but quickly scrambled back onto his feet. "Did you kill my cousin? You'll pay for that."

Conall took one more glance at Draco, turned suddenly, then charged towards where Hermione was still passed out and hanging from the ceiling. With all of the fierce fighting going on, no one had a chance yet to get her down. It had been pure luck so far that no one had hit her in crossfire.

Without hesitation Draco rushed after him only seconds behind. Conall was almost by Hermione when Draco jumped, his arms grabbing the man's legs and tackling him down to the floor. The men went rolling along the floor as Hermione's puddle of blood soaked into both of their clothing. Draco grimaced knowing whose blood they were rolling in.

Conall reached out grabbing and pulling on Draco's hair. Draco head-butted Conall, making each man groan out in pain, their skirmish knocked Hermione around as she kept dangling around limply in small circles.

Where were the other Aurors and Hit Wizards? Draco, even though once a Death Eater, felt he wasn't the most qualified to deal with this particular bad guy. The only thing he needed to do was get Hermione out of this hellhole.

At the worst time possible, he heard Hermione start groaning in pain. He was trying to draw Conall's attention away from her. Conall turned his head up at Hermione hanging above them and he sneered. Still hurting from knocking heads, Draco used the first spell that came to his mind, "Verdimillious," green sparks shot out of the end of his wand and into Conall's eyes.

"Fucking, buggering hell," Conall yelled out in pain as he dug into his eyes.

That was all the distraction he needed to jump up, send a severing charm at the rope holding Hermione and she fell into his arms. With no hesitation at all, he apparated them away from the hellish place, and he landed on his knees in a field of wheat cushioning their fall.

Draco held Hermione close to him as he felt tears starting to fall as he got a good look at her. There were dark bruises on both sides of her face where she had apparently been punched. Her beautiful eyes were swollen shut, with blood running out of them instead of tears. Gods, it was worse than he thought. If she wasn't dead yet, she soon would be. If the outside looked this bad, then the damage inside was probably worse. He needed to quickly get her to St. Mungos, but he needed a portkey.

He didn't dare go back to find Potter or any of the Hit Wizards to locate a portkey. He knew those in charge had them for a quick getaway after they rescued Hermione. There was no way that he was leaving her alone out here. He would kill anyone who tried to hurt her again.

Draco held her tight against his chest as he rocked back and forth apologizing, "I'm so sorry we didn't get here earlier. I'm so sorry…they hurt you…so much," the words stopped.

With his head bent down he didn't see Hermione move, but jumped a little when he felt a cold hand move up to the side of his face.

"You came," the words were spoken almost in a whisper as if it hurt to even get that out. "Th..thank…you." Hermione's hand went limp and fell to her side. Utter panic went through him and his fingers shook feeling for a pulse. Thankfully he felt a very weak one, but knew time was running out for this woman he held tenderly in his arms.

Hearing running behind him, his head looked around in alarm not knowing whose side those footsteps belonged to.

"Bloody Hell," he heard someone say looking up into Ron Weasley's red face. "Harry I found Malfoy and he has Hermione" Draco still held her tightly to his chest. There was no way that he was letting this fucktard touch her.

Harry came running up next to them and stopped like he had hit a brick wall, "Dear God, is she dead?"

Before Draco could answer Harry a soft voice said, "I'm not dead yet Harry Potter."

Harry dropped down next to them, and tried not to gasp as he got a closer look at her. Potter's distressed face showed how he was also feeling inside. Harry's hand came out to touch her, but he pulled it back just as quickly running it instead through his impossibly, forever mussed up hair. Sighing, he dug into his pants pocket pulling out a Muggle pen.

"Hold on to her tightly Malfoy and let's get her some help." Harry's hand clamped onto his shoulder, and Draco's fingers touched the pen. In a whirl they were transported to a busy emergency room at St. Mungos.

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_**Phew! That was hard to write! Now she is safe and I didn't end with as horrible a cliffhanger as I did earlier with my very L-O-N-G story Time Changes All Things. Next time we'll find out how hurt Hermione is and where the story goes from here. I promise the Dramione action will start happening soon. Thanks for hanging in there with me through all of the dark and dreary parts of this story.**_


	20. Chapter 20

**_A BIG welcome to all of the new readers to "Blinded"! Thanks for the support from all of you that are reviewing and reading this story. I hope you like this chapter. _**

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Blinded: Chapter 20

Chaos.

Utter and full fledged chaos.

Heart thumping, people shoving, scared looking chaos.

There was no other way to describe how it looked once they'd portkeyed into St. Mungos Emergency Room with Hermione knocking at Death's Door. A team of healers had been waiting around for if **and** when they returned with Hermione Granger. The War Heroine deserved to have this kind of treatment; after all she, Harry Potter and Ron Weasley had saved their world from the greatest evil. Once again she had saved people from evil at her own expense.

Draco stood to the side of the room with bloodstained clothes, a battered face, and a worried heart. He knew he probably looked like hell, but no one was even paying him any mind. The second they had portkeyed in, a big burly man had wrenched Hermione out of his arms and almost thrown her on a waiting gurney. It looked like six healers were working on her at the same time. He couldn't even see her with his view being blocked. Maybe that was a mercy. She hadn't looked much like the Hermione he come to know and love when he whisked her out of the mess of bloodied Aurors and MacAteers.

Harry standing next to him was also being ignored. That was the first sign of the horrific shape Hermione was truly in. If the Savior of the Wizarding World was being totally ignored, then they were in for a long night.

At one point as they were holding themselves up against the wall, Harry and Draco glanced at one another. Gods! Harry looked awful, all dirty, bloody and bruised. Then Draco wondered if that's how Harry was seeing him. They had just actually come from a battle, which didn't make for pristine appearances.

"What if she doesn't make it?" The words escaped his mouth before he could stop them. Draco couldn't believe he was letting such vulnerable words be heard by Harry Potter. After all, they had been enemies for many years; except for tonight they had been fighting to save Hermione, together.

Several minutes went by as the two men continued watching the healers waving their wands around, shouting out one spell after another. At one instance they had levitated Hermione around so they could attend to her back. At that point, it looked like both he and Harry would vomit at the sight from the damage the whips had caused. Not only was Hermione's shirt ripped to shreds, but also her back could be described with those same words. Never before had Draco seen anyone flayed alive like that and still been breathing. Yes, he'd witnessed people whipped the same way, but they'd died soon after. How in Merlin's name was this woman even still breathing?

"She'll make it Malfoy. She's a strong woman…and she has something to live for finally."

Harry actually reached over and patted him on the shoulder. Well fuck! Harry Potter getting sentimental with Draco Malfoy! Maybe it was truly the end of the world. Embarrassment overcame both men at that moment, and they looked away in silence.

A while later, someone shoved cups of black coffee into their hands. Mechanically they sipped at the liquid, even though Draco hated his coffee black. He liked his with double sugar, 18% cream and a hint of cinnamon. Frankly, he couldn't taste a thing while Hermione was still passed out cold with six healers still frantically working on her poor, abused body.

Why someone hadn't come to take them out of the room, Draco would never know. Both men probably would have fought anyone who had tried though; maybe those around them knew this too. It was several minutes after the coffee that two chairs were brought in for them to sit down for the show called, "Saving Hermione." Gods, how he wished this weren't real life. This should never have happened.

Draco could feel his eyes start to blur and his head start to pound. The coffee cup slipped from his hand splattering it's contents onto the floor. He tumbled over onto his face passing out on the way down. He'd never remember Harry Potter screaming for help and lifting him up in his arms, and that was probably a very, good thing.

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Hours later Draco awoke in a silent hospital room. Looking around he could see no sign of Hermione or Harry. Where was everyone? He started panicking as he first thought of Hermione and how she was doing. Then a feeling of utter dread came over him. What if she hadn't made it? Is that why he had been left alone?

Draco jumped out of the bed, very happy to see that he was still fully dressed. He did notice that his clothes had been scourgified thankfully. He wasn't sure he could had handled looking at his clothes stained with Hermione's blood.

Draco swayed slightly as he started walking out of the room. As he wandered down the hallway, Harry came out of the room at the end.

"Oh, there you are," Harry said. "We were wondering when you'd wake up."

"Where is she? Is she still alive?" Draco asked grabbing onto Harry's arms and looking him straight in the eyes.

"Calm down Malfoy and I'll give you all the details." Harry said in a quiet voice. "She's in this room." He pointed behind to the door he'd just came out of.

"So…" Draco's eyes drifted over to the door.

"Come on. I think she'll be happy to see you first when she finally wakes up." Harry grinned at him, while Draco tried to ignore the implications. Besides Chason, he didn't think anyone else really knew of his interest in Hermione.

Draco stopped suddenly at that thought, "Potter, Hermione's friend, Chason is he OK?"

"Beat up a little, but he's awake and moving around. Before you ask, Ron is fine too." Harry really started to laugh now.

"Thanks Potter. You just relieved all of my fears, because I've been worried all night about that big, ugly git." Draco glared back at Harry.

Harry smacked him on the arm, "Come on and I'll take you in to Hermione."

Draco wanted to smack the smile off of Potter's face, but he was too anxious to see Hermione to care about the razzing he was getting from him.

He took a deep breath and blew it out slowly as he pushed open the door. Hermione was laid out on the bed her hair all awry, looking better than before, but still bandaged up and very pale. Standing in the doorway feeling very lost, Draco stood frozen and not moving. His feet felt like they were in mud.

Harry turned back around to him, "I thought you wanted to see her?"

Draco suddenly felt unsure about why he was there. Would she really want him there? Maybe she'd change her mind once she realized her job was done and didn't need to be around Draco any longer. She had a huge circle of friends already in her life.

Draco felt a pair of hands pushing him forward as he stumbled towards Hermione's bed. He felt the heat rise in his cheeks as he stood near her wondering if she would be happy to wake up and see his face.

Taking his time doing an old-man shuffle, his feet finally cooperated and he stood by her side reaching out for her hand. His thumb began to brush back and forth as he willed her to open her eyes. She looked so young and vulnerable lying in the bed. Her face was the same color as the sheets, a cool white. All he wanted right now was to see her beautiful amber eyes looking up at him.

"Hermione," his voice cracked as he said her name. "I have Scorpius back, and the other children."

He looked down at her and she didn't move at all. "Everything would be so much better if you would just wake up."

Draco looked up from Hermione. He noticed that Harry had left the room to give him some privacy. Damn him. If he didn't quit being so nice he might start liking him a bit.

A groan from Hermione broke him from his thoughts. She started moving back and forth making more sounds. Was she in pain?

"Hermione, do you need me to get a healer?" Draco started to move, but was stopped by her hanging onto his hand.

"No…don't go," her voice squeaked out barely in a whisper. "You're here."

Draco smiled down at her, "Where else would I be you silly woman?" Then he did the thing that seemed the most logical to his heart, he bent forward and kissed her. "I'm here to stay."

Deep down he knew he meant more than just staying there in her room. After everything that had been happening the past several months, he knew what was most important to him.

"Scorpius. Where is he?" Hermione could hardly get the words out. Her eyes searched Draco's face.

"He's fine. All of the children are upstairs in the children's wards resting overnight." Her smile at his words made him feel warm all over.

"I'm so glad. I'm thirsty." Draco reached over to the nearby water cup and helped her drink from the straw. His arms held her gently around the shoulders without touching the worst wounds on her back. Seeing her grimace in pain was like a knife to his own heart. This was all so new to him. He'd never felt these kind of feelings before for a woman. Yes, as a father he felt overwhelming love for his child, but for the first time in his life he knew he was falling in love and it scared him to death.

Harry came into the room then with two of Hermione's healers.

"Ms. Granger it's good to see you awake."

Draco stepped back to allow them to gather around Hermione's bed. Her eyes drifted over to him almost willing him to stay and not leave. Draco smiled at her and nodded his head. She nodded back to him. It was funny how they could communicate without talking. Hmm, is this what happened with real couples? Maybe he could ask Potter or something. Draco looked down at his feet, his arms behind his back. Just call him a major loser if he started asking for relationship advice from Harry.

"Did she say anything about what happened?" Harry asked him.

"No, she asked about the children and then she wanted some water." He was damned if he was going to tell him anything else that had transpired in the few minutes when they had been alone. He didn't need to know about their kiss.

Another healer came rushing into the room, "Mr. Malfoy, your son is crying and asking for you. He finally woke up and no one can calm him down."

Draco looked longingly over to Hermione, the distress of choosing who to be with at the moment written on his face.

"Draco," Hermione motioned him over, "Go be with Scorpius. I'll be fine. He needs his dad right now."

Draco reached out and held her hand. They stared at each other while Harry and the healers stood silently nearby. "Are you sure?"

"Yes. Go calm him and then visit me later. I have a feeling I'm not going to be going anywhere for awhile." Hermione tried to smile but then grimaced in pain again.

"It's time for more pain potion Ms. Granger." The head healer stated.

Draco smoothed his hand down the side of her face and leaned down to kiss her on the forehead. Hermione mouthed the words, "Thank you."

Draco turned to leave catching Harry's eyes, who only gave him that devilish grin and a nod. Draco raised his eyebrow in return and nodded back. He hurried to catch the lift up to his son.

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As Draco entered the children's ward he heard the screaming coming from the corner. There was Scorp jumping up and down in a crib, tears running down his face, snotty nose and red eyes. The second he saw his dad, his little arms stretched out for him, "Papa...come." The words came out in a big sob.

Draco's heart just about leaped out of his chest as he saw that little face so distressed. "Oh my little man," and he lifted him out and into the safety and security of his arms. He could feel the shuddering from Scorpius who had cried himself into a frenzy.

Scorpius clung to him like a leech does to human skin. His son would not be letting go for quite awhile. "You are Ok Scorp, Papa's here." The sobbing turned into soft little hiccups, but the tears continued to fall.

"I miss you Papa," Scorpius started patting Draco's back as he laid his head on his dad's shoulder.

"I missed you every single day too buddy."

Draco rubbed his back in a calming motion. He was troubled that Scorpius hadn't asked about his mum. He knew from what the Aurors had said, that in all likelihood Scorpius had seen his mum murdered. However, with all of the trauma he'd been through maybe he had blocked it. This wasn't all over with by a long shot. Thinking that his two, almost three year old son would probably need counseling broke his heart. It had always been his goal to raise his son in a normal environment. He had wanted to give his son a better childhood than he'd had. Well, thanks to the MacAteers, that goal had been pretty well been fucked up.

Draco continued to walk the floor speaking nonsense comfort words to his son. He saw the Goyles come through the door to be with their daughter and nodded to his old friends.

He felt the little body in his arms go limp and could feel the soft breathing. Thankfully Scorpius had fallen asleep. He went over to a nearby rocking chair and sat down shifting the little body in his arms. One of the healers came in to check on the children and brought a blanket over to Draco to wrap around them both. His eyes started to get heavy as the sleepy vibes from Scorpius drifted all over him. The last thing he thought of before falling asleep was Hermione's smile before leaving her room. Everyone he cared about was finally safe, for the moment.

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**_Yay! Everyone is fine and safe. Pieces fell into place in this chapter of where things are heading into the future. Please let me know how you liked this one. I have many ideas of things to happen in the future for this story, but what ideas do you have? I'm always open to suggestions and will definitely give credit if your ideas are used. Thanks again!_**


	21. Chapter 21

**Blinded Chapter 21**

"Did you miss me when I was gone?" the little voice in her dreams said.

"Of course I did Scorp, every single day." A much lower voice answered the childlike voice. "I was going silly trying to find you and the other children."

"You love me lots don't you Papa?" she heard the smaller voice ask along with a childish giggle.

"You know I do son. I love you more than anyone else in the world." Draco's deep voice answered his son.

"Do you love me more than you loved mum?" Scorpius then asked.

Hermione was starting to stir from what she thought were her dreams. She kept her eyes closed wanting to hear the answer that Draco would give his son.

"I'll always love you the most son. Don't you ever forget that, right?" Draco tried to reassure the little boy on his lap. Hermione could feel that they were sitting close to her bed. The little boys legs were kicking in and out hitting her bedcovers as he talked to his father.

"Did you know that the bad man hurt mum? I saw him shoot a spell at her and she fell down on the floor." The words were said with a sob. Even though Draco may have not loved Astoria, the little boy sitting there loved her very much. She really wanted to wake up and assure him that she knew his mum had loved him and had died trying to save him, but she knew that it wasn't her place to do so.

"Scorp, your mum loved you so much. She was trying to stop the bad man from taking you. He hurt her really bad son. That's why she's not here. She's in Heaven now with Champ." Draco almost said in a whisper.

"Do you think she's playing up there with Champ? He liked to play with the red ball you got him." Hermione assumed that Champ was a pet that had died. She was just itching to open her eyes to look at Draco, but she didn't want to break up this tender scene between father and son.

"Who is this lady?" Scorpius asked. Now the conversation was getting interesting. She wondered how Draco was going to answer.

"This lady is Hermione. She's the one that helped find you. She's the reason that you are back here with me." Draco answered with an emotion filled voice.

"Do you think she'll want to be my friend?" Hermione couldn't help but let a little giggle out now. The game was up and she opened her eyes and turned her head towards the two Malfoy men.

"Hi," she said in a scratchy voice.

"Papa said that you saved me, " Scorpius said to her.

The little boy was sitting on Draco's lap with his arms wrapped around his daddy as far as they could go. Draco looked a little disheveled, but not as much as most people would. Even in the roughest situations, Draco managed to look more put together than the normal person.

"Oh, no, it's your papa that is the hero. He's the one that saved you." She managed to smile his way. It hurt so much to talk.

She heard Draco scoff at her words. "I think we can say that we're both heroes. Without all of your hard work this big boy wouldn't be sitting here right now."

A healer's assistant came into the room, "Mr. Malfoy, we need to take your son back upstairs and run some more tests."

Scorpius turned his head into his father's chest, "No, I don't want to go." He started crying and clinging onto Draco. "Please, don't make me. I want to stay here with you and Herminee."

It was breaking Hermione's heart to see how distraught the boy was, she could only imagine what it was doing to Draco. He was trying not to show any emotion to Scorpius, but his eyes betrayed him.

"Scorpius, if you go finish your tests, I'll be up right after and we'll read your favorite story." Draco's words almost sounded like a plea. He didn't want him to leave anymore than the little boy wanted to go either.

"You mean the Cheerful Dragon and his favorite Wizard?" Scorpius asked with excitement.

"Yes, that's the one mate. Now go with the lady and do what she asks and then we can have some reading time."

"Ok, Papa." Scorpius gave his dad one more kiss on the cheek and a big hug. Then he took the assistant's hand. Waving goodbye to Hermione and Draco they walked out of the room as Scorpius called out, "Bye, bye Herminee. I'll be back and read you my best story."

"Ok Scorpius, I can't wait." Hermione waved back at the darling little boy who kept waving his hand until he left the room. She didn't think kids could be this cute. Harry's boys hadn't been this cute when she visited his house. This little boy in just a few minutes was threatening to steal her heart.

Draco gave a big sigh as they left. He rubbed his hands along his face and lay back in his chair shaking his head.

"He's a totally different boy. He used to be so confident in everything he did. After all of this he's scared of everything and only wants to be with me. He hates to be left alone and always scared that someone else is going to take him away from me. It's not fair that an almost three year old has to deal with trauma like this."

Draco looked so sad and he had good reasons to be that way. Hermione wished she knew how to help him. She had never been on this end of things. She would solve the case, fill out the paperwork and be on her way. Now that she was in Draco, and also Scorpius's life, she was seeing the fallout of one of her cases.

"It's going to take a lot of time Draco." She reached out to take his hand in hers. "Just remember that none of this was your fault. You are going to need to stay strong and positive for him."

Draco started rubbing his thumb along the back of her hand as he sat and digested her words. "You know the worst part is, I can't even tell him that his kidnapper is behind bars."

"What?" Hermione shouted almost jumping out of the bed. "What do you mean? What happened in Ireland?" All of a sudden she was having a hard time breathing at hearing what Draco had said.

"Oh, fuck! I forgot that you've been out of it and didn't hear what happened." Draco stood up and started pacing in the small hospital room. "I'm so sorry that you found out this way. Harry was going to come in once you woke up and were stronger and debrief you. Now he's going to be miffed at me for this cock-up too."

"Why is he already angry at you? What else did you do?" Hermione looked at him puzzled.

Another big sigh came from Draco, "He's quite ticked off at me for going in there earlier and bringing the children home on my own…and that I killed one of the MacAteers while in the process of rescuing the children."

"Well, I can see why he's so bent out of shape. You went there with no back up, but he shouldn't be that fed up that you got rid of the monster who had been torturing your own child. I would have done the same thing."

"Thank you! Tell your self righteous friend the same thing." Draco ran his hands through his hair in frustration.

"I still want to know what happened. Did they all get away? I don't remember a lot past the point they started whipping me. Please come and sit down. You're making me nervous pacing around like that." Their eyes met and she tried sending him a smile. Draco's eyebrows scrunched together and he folded his arms. Giving somewhat of a huff, he came back and plopped down in the chair next to her bed.

Truth be told, she cringed as she thought back to that night. She'd been expecting to be killed. She'd gone into the mission knowing that her chances were slim in returning. To wake up in the hospital had been the biggest surprise of her life. To have Draco sitting there by her bed had been another huge surprise. She tried not to look too much into this. It was still too soon after everything to get her hopes up.

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Harry Potter sat at his desk reading the reports from all of the Aurors and Hit-Wizards that had made it back alive. His head sat heavily in his hands. Why couldn't this have all ended that night back in Ireland? They had suffered some losses and almost lost Hermione too. He flipped through one report after another. He slammed his hand down on the pile and then threw them all off of his desk.

"Hey mate, calm down," Ron walked in the door as Harry watched the last report flutter to the ground. "What's made you so upset?"

Harry glared up at his friend, who flinched and stepped back at seeing the look sent his way.

"Why am I upset? You really have to ask me why I'm upset?" Harry's voice kept getting louder and louder.

"Um, yea," Ron just shrugged his shoulders and walked around the papers littered on the floor and sat down in the empty chair in front of Harry's desk.

"This case should be done. Over. Finished. But we still have at least two, maybe three of those fucking MacAteers wandering around Europe somewhere."

Harry rubbed his forehead where his faded scar would always sit prominently on his head. This was a bad habit of his from his younger years that he would never grow out of.

"The men that kidnapped children and want Hermione dead are still out there free. Who knows when they'll strike again? I still need to go to St. Mungos to break the news to her. I'm sure she won't be thrilled that her potential killers are not locked up." Harry slapped his hand down again on his desk. Ron jumped and stared at his best friend.

"I reckon that we should probably head over and spill the beans to Mione then. Right?" Ron asked as if he really wasn't sure they truly wanted to go tell Hermione anything. They still weren't on the best of terms.

Harry looked at Ron without saying anything, his lips pinched and then he nodded his head. "It's time. Malfoy said she's been alert and up more."

He pushed his chair back and grabbed his wand. "Accio files." All of the papers came flying up into his hands. "I know our best friend. Even though she's still in hospital, she'll want to read every file on the case."

Ron slapped his friend good heartedly on the back, "Good sense Mr. Potter. It's about bloody time." Harry just snickered as they went out the door.

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xxxxxxx

Harry and Ron walked into Hermione's room and were taken aback at what they saw. Scorpius Malfoy was sitting in the bed next to Hermione. She had her arm around him as she read him a picture book. The Malfoy boy was snuggled up against her as Draco sat at their side, feet stretched out with a huge grin on his face. The domestic scene was something that they hadn't expected to see.

Harry cleared his throat, "Hey, how are you doing?" they walked over to the bed.

"Who are you?" Scorpius asked, which made Draco chuckle at his young son's boldness.

"Well, we're friends of Hermione's." Harry answered in his voice he used to talk to his own sons.

" You know Herminee? What's your name?" the little boy continued his questioning. This only made Hermione grin up at her friend. The precocious boy was entertaining all of them.

"My name is Harry and this is Ron."

Both men tried not to laugh at the way Scorpius had pronounced Hermione's name. It made them both think back to fourth year when Victor Krum had butchered her name. At least Scorpius was only a child and not a full-grown wizard, and could get away with mispronouncing a name.

"Herminee is my new friend. She likes to read books like me. Did you know that?" Scorpius asked.

"Really?" Harry asked. "I didn't know that she even liked books."

Draco snorted at her side, while Ron coughed into his hand. Hermione only managed to give Harry the evil eye. "Harry…"

Draco stood up and scooped Scorpius into his arms. "It's time to head back up to your room Scorp. They are going to be bringing you your lunch."

"Stop!" Scorpius screamed. "I need to do something. Put me back." The little boy ordered his father. Scorpius struggled in Draco's arms trying to get down.

"Fine." Draco spat out and plopped the little blond boy back onto Hermione's bed. All of the adults watched as Scorpius leaned over and threw his arms around Hermione's neck and gave her a big, sloppy kiss on her cheek. Hermione smiled and hugged him back.

"Thank you so much Scorpius. Go eat and then come back and we'll read some more stories together. All right?"

"Oh yes!" The smile on the boy's face lit up the room. "Bye." He waved as Draco lifted him back again in his arms, but not before he also leaned down to give a kiss on Hermione's cheek. This time she blushed as she glanced over to where Harry and Ron were standing. They all watched as the Malfoys' left the room.

No one said anything for a few moments. "So, you are looking very cozy there with Draco and his son." Harry spoke first. Hermione's glare sent his way was a mild one.

"Well, I decided that getting to know Scorpius better would be a good thing if I ever hope to get closer to Draco." Hermione answered in her analytical way as she tried to defend herself.

"Get to know him better? You bloody well have the little Malfoy more in love with you than his old man." Ron said in disgust, crossing his arms.

"Ronald, let it go. When are you going to grow up and be happy for me." Hermione asked heatedly. The tension in the room started to increase.

"Can the both of you try to tolerate each other for a few minutes? We are here on official ministry business. I'm here to update you on the MacAteer case." Harry stepped in-between where Ron stood and Hermione's bed.

"I already know that you didn't catch all of them Harry." Hermione said with an edge of bitterness to her tone.

"That prick wasn't supposed to say anything to you." Ron shouted out.

"Well, at least he was being honest with me. When were you two going to tell me? When the MacAteers showed up to try and kill me again? Anyhow, it accidentally slipped out one night."

"Hermione we weren't keeping it from you on purpose," Harry said as he came closer to Hermione, "We were just waiting until you were stronger and could handle the information."

"Well, how would you know if I was stronger or not? You haven't actually been knocking down my door to come and update me on anything. No one has. It's like no one cares that I was in charge of this case." Hermione was bitter inside about how this had all come down.

"Hermione that's not fair, you were out and fighting for your life for two weeks. None of us were kicking you off of the case." Harry tried reasoning with her.

"Anyhow, Draco told us he would curse our balls off if we came and blabbed about what had happened before you were strong enough to handle the information."

Hermione's anger went away and she burst into laughter. She was laughing so hard that tears started falling down her face. "He really said that?"

"Yes, he really shouted that to both of us while holding his wand aimed at our crotch." Harry explained. Ron just stood there, red-faced, biting his tongue, clearly wanting to say something but not daring to.

With a show of bravery, Harry reached out and grabbed Hermione's hand, "I know that Malfoy cares for you, OK? That's why I didn't punch his lights out when he threatened me." Harry winked at her. "Anyhow, I think he's just jealous that I've procreated more than he has…at this point. So threatening to stop me procreating more Potters just made him happy." This made Hermione start laughing again.

"You just wait Hermione, Malfoy's going to want you to pop out more of those blond haired, pointy faced kids for him." Ron said with a sneer.

"That's really choice Ron, coming from a Weasley whose family is trying, all on their own I might add, to re-populate the whole wizarding world." Hermione said.

This made Harry laugh hysterically, "She's got you there mate."

Then Harry turned to high-five Hermione, and spent the rest of the hour updating her on the bad turn of events that had led to the head of the MacAteer family getting away.

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_**I'm leaving it here for now. You can see how things are progressing with the case (not much!), between Draco and Hermione (a lot) and mending the friendship between Hermione and Ron (still needs a lot of work**_.) _**One of my Beta readers was concerned about how grown up Scorpius sounded in this chapter. Here's my reasoning I had to point out, #1 He's almost three years old #2 Most three year olds don't speak in baby talk any more. #3 My own children all spoke in complete sentences by the age of three. So please don't complain that Scorpius sounded way too old for his age. I hate baby talk and we never spoke that way to our children. I could see the Malfoys being the same way. In fact, my oldest child was speaking in complete sentences at 18 months old and knew how to recite the whole pledge of allegiance. I hope that you enjoyed this chapter and please leave a review telling me what you hope to see in upcoming chapters. Thanks for reading and following the story.**_


	22. Chapter 22

_**One more chapter that wrote itself at the wee hours of the morning. I truly love when that happens.**_

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Blinded Chapter 22

The knocking on the door interrupted Hermione's reading. She was still so frustrated that she hadn't been released from St. Mungos yet. She felt so much better, but because of the severe internal damage she'd undergone, her healers had wanted to keep her one more week. All of her friends had exclaimed how happy they were that she was staying put. They all knew how Hermione was a workaholic, and of course she couldn't deny it. But, she had made Harry promise that he would come to the hospital every day and update her on all of the developments, or lack of development in the MacAteer case.

The door opened and Draco walked in with Scorpius, his large hand holding onto the smaller one of his son.

"Good morning," his smile was wide and genuine. He bent down to kiss her lips.

"Oh that's so gross," Scorpius complained as he saw them kissing. "Kisses are for cheeks, not for lips." The little boy gestured with his hands.

Draco winked at Hermione, which in turn made her blush. It also made her realize more about the kind of relationship Draco had had with his late wife, Astoria. He had admitted to Hermione that he hadn't been in love with her at the time of her death. So of course Scorpius hadn't seen much affection between his father and mum.

"Are you here to read stories with me again?" Hermione patted the bed next to her.

"Yes I am!" Scorpius struggled to get up onto the bed. His dad had to give him a lift up, as his little legs just were not tall enough.

"So have The Chosen One and his sidekick been in to see you today?" Draco asked.

Hermione smiled, but shook her head at him. "Yes, they came earlier, but didn't have much to say. I feel so helpless not being there to work on the case."

"You are helping. When we're not here with you you've been pouring through file after file. Don't be so hard on yourself."

"Papa…it's my turn to talk to Herminee." Scorpius stated whinging in a loud voice.

For a moment Hermione caught a flash of irritation on Draco's face, then his countenance softened. Taking a deep breath he ran his hand through his hair and sighed. "I know mate sorry."

The door to Hermione's room opened, "Mr. Malfoy, someone from your office is waiting in the hall to speak with you. They said it's a matter of great importance."

Draco looked from Hermione to the door and back to her again. "I'm sorry. Do you mind if I leave Scorp here for awhile while I take care of this?"

"No, not at all. Anyhow, this is my reading time with Scorpius so you can run along." Hermione smiled down at the little boy curled up to her side.

"Thank you." His hand reached out to smooth down her freshly washed hair. "I'll be back as soon as I can." Once again he leaned in to kiss her lips, lingering a little longer than last time. Hermione's hand came up to thread through his hair, holding his head firmly in place.

"Bye-bye Papa," Scorpius's words broke their kiss, as they both quietly laughed at the toddlers antics.

Draco then quickly kissed Scorpius on his cheek and ruffled his hair. "You be a good chap and listen to your…Herminee."

Hermione had caught what Draco had almost said. Had it meant anything? Was it a slip of his tongue that he would have said if Astoria were still alive? Or was he starting to see her as a possible mum for his son?

"Love you," Draco said. Both Scorpius and Hermione looked up at him as he left the room. This only made Hermione wonder more if he had been directing that 'Love you' to just his son or both of them.

"Well, what book did you bring today?" Hermione asked with a smile.

Scorpius held the book up for her. "Oh goody, The Tales of Beedle the Bard. Which one do you want to start with?"

"The Wizard and the Hopping Pot." Scorpius said with delight.

Hermione sighed and opened the book and started to read the book, even though it was one she had hoped she'd never have to read again in her life.

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Draco and his assistant had left the hospital and flooed back to their ministry offices on level five. Things had been chaotic during the time when Scorpius and the other children had been missing. Draco had spent much of his time helping Hermione on the case and his three main assistants had been running the department. Since Scorpius's return, Draco had been back to work as much as he could, between visiting Hermione at St. Mungos, then at home with Scorp and then being at work to run his department. He felt like he was running in too many directions, but wasn't ready to give up his position at the ministry yet.

Draco sat behind his desk staring at Theodore Nott who was the head of the International Magical Office of Law, whose department worked under Draco as head of The Department of International Magical Cooperation. He and Theo had never been mates in school, but they also had never been enemies. Theo at least had been smart enough to avoid getting involved with Voldemort and being marked as a Death Eater. Somehow, he had slipped under Voldemort's radar, something that had irked Draco seeing how he had been pulled in kicking and screaming in order to save his family's life.

"So the new laws set by France's Ministry of Magic are not aligned with the British laws currently in place. They have threatened to pull all trade of current commodities between our two countries until our laws are compliant with theirs." Draco's head pounded as he listened to Theo drone on about laws and trading and stuffy political jargon.

"Have you informed Minister Shacklebolt about this? We can do nothing until he gives us the go ahead to even start bringing this matter in front of the Wizengamot." Draco asked Theo in a somewhat grumpy tone.

"I thought that was what your job was for, to inform the Minister about what is happening in _your _department." Theo sat back in his chair and crossed his legs staring down at Draco.

Draco pressed his lips together trying not to curse at the man. Theo was just trying to get him riled up. "How long has this been a problem?"

"The past two months." Theo said.

"The last two months? Why wasn't I informed about this earlier?" Draco shouted back at him.

Theo sniffed and turned his nose up in the air, "Well, Draco, you haven't exactly been here at the office much to inform you of happenings have you?"

The snide answer he could tell was making him red in the face. "My three assistants have been here and none of them have said anything about it."

"That's because I was waiting for you to return." Theo said coldly.

Draco could feel his heart beating rapidly as he tried desperately to calm himself. Was Theo after his job?

"If this matter is as important as you say, and is stopping international trade with France, then yes, you should have informed my office whether or not I was here." Draco knew for sure that now his face was red with anger.

Theo leaned back in his chair staring at him, not quite sure if he should say anything right at the moment.

Taking a piece of purple parchment out of a drawer, he grabbed a nearby quill and furiously started writing on it. When he was done, the Interdepartmental Memo folded up into an aeroplane and took off out of the door.

"That memo is headed to Minister Shacklebolt's office. It was to let him know that you were heading there, immediately, to inform him about an urgent matter in _your_ office that has been going on for two months."

Theo sat looking dazed for a moment and then jumped up. "Draco, why are you doing this?"

"Theo, you are the one who kept this information quiet. You had every avenue available to inform this department of what was starting to boil over in France, yet you chose to keep us in the dark. Therefore this is still your problem and _you_ will be the one to inform the Minister what is threatening our trade alliance with France."

Draco stood and motioned toward the door. "Now, don't keep our good Minister waiting. Good day."

Theo said nothing as he huffed and strutted out the door. Draco dropped into his chair, his hands coming up to rub his pounding temples. Did Theo Nott truly think he'd get the drop on Draco Malfoy? They were both Slytherins after all, and Draco was one of the most cunning of them all. He was not going to take the fall for something that Theo Nott had neglected to do.

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xxxxx

By the time Draco made it back to St. Mungo's, several hours had gone by. He felt guilty leaving Scorpius with Hermione this long, especially because she was still recovering.

He walked into her room to find Hermione and Scorp cuddled up together in bed, sound asleep. Her arms were protectively wrapped around his son. They both had peaceful smiles on their faces. He stood there for a few moments, his hands in his pockets, watching them sleep. He didn't hear the door open as someone came in.

"They look good together, don't they?" Harry stood at his side holding cups of coffee. "I came in earlier to update her and found them just like this."

Harry handed the extra cup of coffee to Draco, who took it with a whispered, "Thanks."

Both men went and sat down in the nearby chairs and started to drink their coffee. "I heard there was some shouting in Minister Shacklebolt's office today and that Theodore Nott came running out looking scared as a rabbit in a fox's den."

Draco grinned and gave a soft laugh. "That's because the bastard was trying to blame me for something he'd neglected to do the past two months. I turned the tables on him. I'm sure that the Minister wasn't too happy to hear about his incompetence."

"You do know that Minister Shacklebolt supported everything you have done this past year helping Hermione, right?" Harry asked him.

"I had thought so when I had asked him to go on leave and putting my assistants in charge. Theo had tried to take advantage of that even though there was a trade embargo going on between Britain and France because of new laws enacted by France. Theo had decided not to tell anyone about it until I came back. He's known about it for two months. How in the name of Merlin do you hide something like that without anyone finding out?" Draco spilled everything out to Harry.

Harry listened attentively, watching as Draco spoke. It seemed so odd to be speaking of his work woes to this man, who at one time he deemed as his enemy.

"So I take it you sent Theo off to inform the Minister all about what he had done?"

"Hell, yes I did. Theo wanted me to be the one to inform him about the embargo; but I sent a memo off to Shacklebolt telling him that Theo was on his way down to inform him about something important that was happening. Theo never saw it coming." Draco shook his head.

"What an idiot. You are the King of Slytherin and all things shrewd and cunning. What was he thinking?" Draco looked over to Harry who had a big grin on his face. Draco reached over and slugged Harry's arm.

"Don't you ever forget it either Potter." Draco quipped, with an equally big grin on his own face.

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"Draco, put me down, I can walk into my apartment on my own." Hermione tried to get down, but Draco held onto her with a tight grip.

"No, it's the Malfoy men's job to get you safely here and settled." Draco shut the door once Scorpius had walked inside holding a bouquet of flowers.

Draco set her down on the couch and then took the flowers from Scorpius. "I still think you should come back with us to the manor. I have put up new and improved wards that will admit no one who is a stranger."

"I'll be perfectly safe here. I'm pretty good at my own wards too." Hermione leaned back looking around her place that she hadn't seen for several weeks.

"Herminee, I like your house. It's very pretty and not too big like our mansion. Why don't you have a mansion?" Scorpius looked up at her with his steel grey eyes so like his fathers. His cute little pout, with his drawn eyebrows made him look so serious.

"Well, you see, I, uh…"

"Scorp, that's not a polite thing to ask." Draco said to him firmly.

"Why not?" Scorpius looked up at Draco and then over to Hermione. "Did I hurt your feelings? Papa told me not everybody get's to live in a big house like ours, but that doesn't mean they aren't special."

Hermione looked at Draco. She was secretly proud of this man and the way he was raising his son differently from the way he'd been brought up.

Before they could say anything else there was a knock on her front door. "Who could that be?" Hermione asked out loud looking at Draco's sudden guilty face.

"The Potter's wanted to bring you dinner on your first night home. I tried to tell Potter's wife that we would be fine, but she wouldn't listen." Draco tried to explain.

Draco went to the door and opened it for the Potter family who came pouring in like a hurricane. Harry came first carrying two covered dishes, followed by the two screaming Potter boys, with Ginny waddling in holding a cake pan.

"Ginny? I didn't know…" Hermione didn't know what to say to Ginny who was obviously very pregnant.

Ginny put down her cake and then proceeded to hit her husband on the arm. "Why didn't you tell her months ago that we were expecting again?"

"Ouch! Why does everyone have to hit?" Harry rubbed his arm. "I didn't tell her because she was occupied with the case and I guess I forgot to say anything."

"What do you mean you forgot? You bloody well knew that I was puking my guts out 24/7 being pregnant with another Potter child." Ginny said her furious side coming out.

Draco and Scorpius stood in shock at the side of the couch. She was sure that neither one of them were used to hearing someone like Ginny explode with anger. Of course Harry and Hermione were used to it from having been around Ginny's mum all of these years. Ginny had turned into her mum in many ways, temper especially.

By now James and Albus were running around chasing each other with their fake Weasley Wizard Wheezes Wands for kids. "Here, catch." James yelled at Scorpius as he ran by throwing another kid wand at him.

Scorpius caught it with both hands and then looked up at Draco. "Yes, son, you can go play with the boys, but don't be so rough. Remember, this isn't our house…thank the Gods. No offence Hermione, but there are many valuable and un-replaceable items at the manor that could be ruined by horseplay."

Hermione saw Harry roll his eyes and Ginny look embarrassed because of her wild boys. She wasn't sure how to respond to Draco's comment. It was the first time, in a long time that the snob in Draco had come out in full force. It troubled her, especially because this was the man she was falling for.

"I'm just going to see getting this food ready." Ginny said softly as she waddled her way into Hermione's kitchen.

"I think I'm going to help her." Harry said as he also retreated into the kitchen after his wife.

Hermione glared up at Draco, who sighed, then sat down next to her. He took her hand in his. "I'm sorry Hermione. It just slipped out. I am who I am and I can't always hide it from your friends."

Hermione pulled her hand away and turned to face him. "You mean that you are a pureblooded snob?"

Draco opened his mouth to say something, but nothing came out as he sat there thinking. "Apparently, I guess I still am a Pureblooded snob, but only when it comes to certain things; never to you."

His quick, honest response surprised her. His next move surprised her even more. His hand came out to pull her into him his arms. He tilted her chin up and his fingers wound in her hair, tugging tightly, as his lips fit perfectly onto hers, his tongue exploring her mouth. Draco's other hand started creeping up to her breast where it landed circling lazily on her nipple. The heat started spreading out from her breast and descending lower, and lower as Draco pulled Hermione into his lap. She let her hands start running over his chest, firm and warm as their bodies started to move together in a lover's dance they both had wanted for awhile. She could feel the moan starting to bubble at the bottom of her throat, and couldn't stop it as she let her head fall back as Draco's lips did something delicious to her neck.

"Are you guys trying to make a baby like dad and mum did?" James Potter said loudly startling them apart. Hermione jumped out of Draco's lap as she looked up to see James, Albus and Scorpius, standing there, watching them with their mouths wide open.

It was at the same moment that Harry and Ginny came back into the room. "You three go and wash up for dinner, now." She swatted each little boy as they ran off laughing.

Harry grabbed Ginny, putting his arms around her wide, expanding middle. "Yes, unfortunately our boys know too much about how this baby girl was made, don't they Gin." Harry laughed rubbing her belly.

Ginny turned red-faced and tried pushing Harry off, but he wasn't budging. "Yes, someone forgot to put up locking charms on the door and they will be forever scarred by seeing their father's lily-white arse as he bounced on their naked mum."

"Oh, my arse isn't lily-white. I bet compared to Malfoy's here, mine has more of a tan. Shall we show them?" Harry started to undo his belt, while Draco stood up to do the same, both men grinning like loons.

"Oh Gods you two! Stop it right now." Hermione said trying not to laugh. "Harry Potter you have corrupted my boyfriend. I think I liked it better when you were enemies and not causing so much mischief.

Draco helped Hermione up, putting his arms around her. "You don't really mean that do you?"

Looking between the two men she nodded no. "I don't mean it at all. It's kind of nice to not be refereeing when you both are in the room. Now if only we could do something about Ron."

Ginny laughed, "He's a hopeless cause. He still tries to deny that Harry and I have sex, even though we're married and are pregnant with our third child."

"Speaking of that third child, so it's a girl? That is wonderful! What are you going to name her?" Hermione asked with excitement.

"We're naming her Lily Luna Potter." Ginny said.

"So you're naming her after Harry's lily-white arse?" Draco asked with one raised eyebrow.

"No, you git. After my mum, Lily." Harry said, looking a bit put out.

"Well, thank Merlin for that." Draco took Hermione's hand and started walking towards the kitchen.

"No one should be named after the Chosen One's arse." The women both laughed, as Harry walked after them muttering about pureblooded, blond, wankers.

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_**Chapter is ending here, at 15 pages. I could have gone on more about things at the dinner table, but I think you can see how well both "families" are getting along at this point. Hermione is home now and will be going back to work, so there will be more about the MacAteers soon. I hope you enjoyed this as much as I did writing it. Thanks again for everyone who has been reviewing and following this story. It's actually my favorite at the moment. I will be working on updating, Living, my Snamione fic, with my heart still reeling from the great Alan Rickman's death this past week. I loved the man in his role as Severus Snape and many other movies. Ending here as I don't want to cry again. See you soon! ~~ssdawning  
**_


	23. Chapter 23

Here's another chapter. I've been working on this over the weekend and finally finished it! Enjoy and please review!

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Blinded: Chapter 23 

Hermione sat forlornly looking around her office. It seemed like a million years since she'd been here last. Her first day back and she felt so lost. Yes, everything was still where she had left it, the almost dead plant in the corner, a picture of Hermione with her parents, and case files stacked on the corner of the desk in alphabetical order.

Now that the missing children had been found, the official kidnapping portion of the case had been closed. Still open though was the case of the missing kidnapper; the man who still wanted her dead. She leaned her head down on her arms, her chin resting where she could still look at the picture of Conall MacAteer. She was trying to think about the case and where to go from here. The biggest problem was that there were no leads. Harry had explained how his trail had come to a dead end. In the weeks Hermione had still been at St. Mungos, the Hit Wizards had been scouring all of Ireland for the man, but came up with nothing.

Now back at work Hermione felt uneasy. Until the kidnapper and murderer was found, she would never be able to let go, live her life and be happy. She longed for what many of her friends had, a spouse, children, and a home filled with love. These thoughts were running through her head on her first day back at work.

The knocking on her door was a happy interruption.

"Come in," Hermione said as she circled around her desk.

Harry walked in with a smile. "So, how is it to be back?"

"I hate to admit it, but not as wonderful as I had hoped it would be. You are not to tell that to any one Harry Potter." Hermione walked back around her desk and dropped down in her chair.

She was silent as she looked through the papers scattered on her desk. "I'm so frustrated Harry. Why can't we find this MacAteer scum?"

Harry sat down in the chair in front of her desk and leaned forward, "I'm just as frustrated as you are. We've been looking for him since the night he ran away. He's found somewhere to hide out and he hasn't been moving. All we can do is keep looking until we find him."

"What if we don't find him? What if he hides out long enough to come back and finish the job he started that night?" Hermione spoke softly. "You didn't hear all of the vile things he wanted to do to me that night. When you showed up he was just getting started."

"Hermione, we have the strongest wards around the office, your flat, and around Malfoy Manor. There is no way that he can get in to even touch you." Harry tried to sound confident, but he didn't look self-assured.

"I know you Harry, and even you don't believe what you just said," sadness clouded Hermione's features.

"No…I don't. Fuck, you don't have to call me out on it though." Harry stood up and walked around behind Hermione. Leaning down he gave her a long hug. "But, that doesn't mean that we aren't going to give everything we have to try and keep you safe. That you can believe."

Hermione's hands came up to rest on Harry's hands. "I do believe that Harry. You and Draco saved me that night."

"Speaking of Mr. Malfoy, where has he been lately?" Harry asked, his eyes flashing with mischief.

"He's in his department butting heads with none other than Mr. Theodore Nott." Hermione's sarcasm was not lost on Harry.

"So what is he doing now?" Harry asked as he picked some lint off of his grey trousers.

Hermione's mouth set in a hard line. "He's being a right arse about everything and he's out for Draco's job still."

Harry walked over to the almost dead plant, turning brown in the corner. His hand reached out to pluck a shriveled leaf barely hanging on. "I thought Malfoy had turned the problem over to Kingsley?" He turned around holding the dead leaf up to Hermione, the corners of his mouth turned up with a grin.

She reached out and tore the leaf out of Harry's hand. "Plants don't like me."

Harry's eyes sparkled, as he laughed, "They don't like me either, I gotta run. I'll talk to you later." He leaned over to kiss her cheek before he left.

The smile slipped from her face as she once again glanced down at the MacAteer file. Her first day back was going to be a long and dull one.

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Draco Malfoy had been in meetings all day long. He hadn't even had a chance to go and check on Hermione. He knew that it was her first day back at work, and frankly he was worried about her. Last night she'd had dinner at Malfoy Manor and seemed calm, but distracted. She'd also insisted on reading Scorpius his bedtime story. Hermione left early saying she needed to be rested for her big day back at work. It bothered him that she had run out before he could kiss her goodnight.

"Did you get the file my assistant wrote up for you?" Theo walked in to Draco's office without knocking.

Draco gave him a dirty look as he dropped down into a nearby chair.

"Come in Theo. Have a seat anywhere. I have nothing going on except to have you come in and whine about something."

"Real Mature Draco," Theo glowered as his eyes flashed with annoyance.

"I believe you think your job description entails coming into my office at least twice a day and bombarding me with trivial things that you could take care of without my help." Draco's face contorted with a smirk.

"I'm not trying to cause problems on purpose," Theo said, his jaw clenched indicating the falsehood of his statement. His eyes turned up to the ceiling avoiding Draco's piercing stare.

"Theo, here is what is going to happen, you are going to stop this insane campaign of being a pest, or with the blessing of our dear Minister Shacklebolt you will be assigned to another department." Draco stood up and circled around the room his expression hard and determined. "I hear there's an opening in the Centaur Liaison Office."

Theo's eyes widened at Draco's ultimatum. He stood stiffly and tugged to straighten his robes. "I see that I will not be wasting any more of your time. Good day." He stuck his nose in the air and left Draco's office with no slamming of the door, much to Draco's surprise.

He sauntered over to his office chair, a smile slipping onto his face. "Take that Theo Nott."

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What a surprise when Hermione Granger was one of the first people to leave the office for the day. No one actually said anything to her, but there were many looks of shock made to other employees at seeing her walk out the door at 4:35 p.m. Oblivious to anything of that sort going on, Hermione only knew she wanted out of there. She wanted to get away from the endless files, the dull conversations, and the heavy cloud hanging over her of the thought of Conall MacAteer still out there on the run.

She apparated to her flat, kicked off her shoes and quickly changed out of her work clothes. Throwing something warm and bulky on, including her fluffy slippers, she sat on her couch to read a new novel she'd picked up. Hermione had her large reading pillow under her head while she sipped on a cup of her favorite Masala Chai tea.

In the middle of chapter eight her floo activated, "Herminee, where are you?" She smiled when she heard the voice of Scorpius Malfoy.

"I'm right here buddy," she bookmarked her place and set her book down.

Scorpius's face lit up with delight as he came running into Hermione's arms. "Oh my, I've missed you." She twirled him around the room.

"What about me? Have you missed me too?" Draco stood there with a mock pout on his face.

Hermione continued to twirl her way over to Draco. Reaching up she gave him a quick kiss. "Of course I've missed you, " she said smiling up at him. "Where were you today? I didn't see you at all on my quite boring first day back."

"I was in my office entertaining that wanker Theo Nott. After our cheerful conversation I think that he won't be bothering me any more."

Hermione gawked at him in surprise, "Now how did you accomplish that?"

"Wanker, wanker, wanker," Scorpius said as he giggled. Hermione gave a sigh of displeasure and narrowed her eyes at Draco.

"Little ears remember the worst things," Hermione said as she gave the little boy one more squeeze and set him on the floor. He went running towards her bookshelf where she kept all of the children's picture books on the bottom.

Draco lifted his shoulders with a half shrug and grinned, "Sometimes I forget when I'm worked up. It just feels so good to finally stop Theo from harassing me."

Hermione slipped her arms around his neck and tilted her face looking up at him, "I'm happy that you neutralized the prat."

"Prat, prat, prat," Scorpius sang in his little voice as he flipped the pages on the book he was looking at.

Draco laughed, "What were you saying about little ears?"

Hermione's skin flushed in embarrassment, "Sorry."

Draco sat down on the sofa leaving room for Hermione to sit next to him. "So what happened to you today? It sounds like things were fairly quiet."

Hermione looked up at Draco, trying to disguise her fears about her almost murderer still being on the loose. "There wasn't much to do, just some paperwork finalizing the children's return.

"And…there's more. Something else is troubling you." Draco's hand came up to run through her curls. "I know you well enough now to figure out that something is on your mind."

Hermione gave a half-smile, "Yes." She sighed and leaned back against his chest. "I couldn't stop staring at his picture and wonder where he is and when he'll be coming back for me."

Her words hung in the air as if suspended for all to see. They both knew whose picture it was she was talking about. Draco only pulled her even closer and put both of his arms around her in comfort.

"I'm not going to let anything happen to you. I'll die before letting him hurt you again." He kissed the top of her head and rubbed her arms as she sat shivering and close to tears.

"I feel like my life is on hold until Conall is caught. I hate feeling this way." Hermione felt like crying. She looked up at Draco, "I want to start living again, with you and Scorpius. At the same time though I don't want to put that cute little guy in danger again." They both looked over at Scorpius who was now flipping through the pages of his second book. He was making loud animal sounds as he read a book about dragon riders.

Hermione laughed, "He really is so much like you Draco, obsessed with flying and books."

"How did you know I was obsessed with books?" Draco asked shifting her so he could look her in the eyes.

"I always knew that you were second behind me in all of our classes, except potions. I figured you had probably opened up a book or two to be able to achieve that." Hermione smirked at her boyfriend. "Anyhow, I saw you sneaking around Hogwarts library often enough trying not to let anyone see you there. Were you afraid your friends would make fun of you?" Hermione leaned back into Draco with a sigh as she stretched her legs out.

Draco looked shocked, "What do you mean sneaking around? Maybe I was there studying like you. Or maybe I was following you around and didn't want anyone to know."

Hermione sat up with a start and twirled around to stare at Draco, "Are you serious? Why would you have been following me around? That's just creepy."

"Why would that be creepy? Maybe I was interested in you." Draco's eyebrow lifted up as he studied her.

"But _**you**_ were Draco Malfoy and I was Hermione Granger." She looked at him firmly showing no amusement at his words.

"Newsflash- I'm still Draco Malfoy and last I heard you're still Hermione Granger." His words earned him a smack on his arm.

"You know what I mean. Back then you were a "Death Eater" and I was the famous "Mudblood" and best friend of Harry Potter."

Draco glared and took her chin in his hands, "Do not ever call yourself that word again. I'm not proud of my behavior during school, but I love that fiery and brave Muggleborn." His lips drew near hers until she felt them land firmly on her own. The kiss deepened as she heard herself moan and felt Draco's hands wind into her hair.

As they came up for air they heard a little voice question, "Are you going to have a baby now?" Scorpius stood next to the sofa staring at them, as he twirled one of his curls around his finger.

Hermione laughed as Draco cursed, "I'm going to kill those Potter boys."

"Let's make sure if we ever really do try for a baby, that we lock the door so Scorpius isn't there observing. I think we are warping the poor boy and he'll never recover." Hermione smiled until she looked at Draco who sat there obviously thinking about something.

Scorpius had wandered back to his pile of books not having his question answered. Draco brushed the curls back from her face that had been messed up from their kissing. He sat looking at her, as if memorizing every detail on her face. "What's wrong Draco?"

"Were you serious about what you said?"

"Do you mean about locking the door? Of course I would lock the door." Hermione answered.

"You know that's not what I'm asking about," his fingers traced over her lips, "Do you want to have a baby with me?"

Hermione grabbed his hand and looked up at him, "What are you really saying? Are you asking me to have sex? Or are you asking me something else?"

Draco's stern look disappeared and a grin appeared, "I'm always up for sex," he yelped when Hermione smacked him again. Rubbing his arm he continued, "But, I'm asking you something else…that something else that is hard for people like me to say." He hesitated and licked his lips and swallowed. "Hermione Granger, will you marry me?"

Hermione sat quietly searching his face, looking into his eyes, and then she began to nod her head up and down. Flinging herself back into his arms she yelled out, "Yes, Draco Malfoy. Yes, I will marry you!"

As they kissed again Scorpius started running around the room yelling as loud as he could, "Yay! We're getting married!"

Draco scooped him up in his arms and brought him back to the sofa, "Yes, buddy we are. Do you want Herminee to be your new Mum?"

Scorpius fell into Hermione's arms. "Will you be my mummy?"

Hermione with tears in eyes answered, "Yes, sweetheart, I would love to be your new mum."

"I can't wait to tell James and Albus I get a new baby and a new mum." Scorpius snuggled into Hermione's side hugging her.

"Maybe we should start working on that new baby since Scorp here is spreading rumors." Draco winked at Hermione.

"Or better yet, maybe we can get married first before we start working on that baby." Hermione rolled her eyes upward.

"Nah, what would be the fun in that?"

"You are corrupting your child Mr. Malfoy." Hermione said to him trying to keep a straight face.

Draco picked up Scorpius, "Do you want to have a sleepover at Herminee's house tonight? She has a guest room just for you."

"Yes, yes!" Scorpius wiggled down and ran off down the hall.

"I get to have a sleepover with you my love," Draco said as his arms slipped around her middle pulling her back up against him. His lips nuzzled at her neck. "But, I don't have plans to sleep very much. What do you say? Are you game?"

Hermione ground back against him, clearly feeling his intentions, "I'll race you to my bedroom." She tore off leaving Draco standing there. Her boring and frustrating day had turned out to be one of the best of her life.

After they got Scorpius ready for bed and tucked away, asleep in a heavily warded room, they went to her bedroom making sure that the door was locked first. Then they took turns taking pieces of their clothing off and flinging them in every direction. The feral look on Draco's face made her shiver with excitement. As soon as they crawled into her king sized bed, Hermione lay underneath Draco.

Draco looked down at her and then kissed the tip of her nose. "No contraceptive spell tonight?"

"No spell. We don't want to make Scorpius look like a fibber."

No more words needed to be said as the two lovers and newly engaged couple made love with a fervor they'd never seen before. Life was good and maybe, just maybe, they'd create a new life tonight. The outside world couldn't touch them tonight, but there was always tomorrow.

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_**It's amazing how your characters decide to do something that you weren't planning on them doing. Draco didn't even have a ring and he took advantage of the , Scorpius mimicking the bad words, one of my kids at that age did the same thing but with an even naughtier word that starts with an "F". A babysitter let us know what the child had been saying, so needless to say, we cleaned up our language around the kids. ;) **_

_** I'm not sure how many more chapters will be in this story, but it will be nothing like my HUGE story Time Changes All Things that ended up with 78 chapters, That was just insane! Do any of you want to see the wedding when these two get married? Let me know! Thanks for reading and I appreciate any and all reviews!**_


	24. Chapter 24

Blinded: Chapter 24

Word seemed to spread fast about Draco and Hermione's engagement. It didn't help that at the Potter's the next night, Scorpius blurted out the news at the dinner table.

"Uncle Harry, Herminee is going to be my new mummy." Scorpius beamed as he looked up at Hermione. Her face turned a bright red as everyone at the table turned to look at Draco and Hermione sitting next to each other.

"Well, is it true?" Ginny asked, as Draco and Hermione seemed to be squirming in their seats as they glanced at each other with half smiles.

Both of them answered loudly, "Yes."

Draco grabbed Hermione's hand and held it tightly on top of the table, where now a beautiful diamond engagement ring glittered in the light. The couple smiled as they looked down at the new ring resting on Hermione's finger. The smiles they gave each other seemed much brighter than any ring could have. It's funny how being in crazy love can do that to people.

"When were you going to tell us?" Harry asked, trying to sound slightly put out, but his eyes showed otherwise.

"Well, Potter, knowing my son the way I do, I knew that we didn't need to say a word and that Scorp would do the telling for us." Draco reached out to ruffle his son's curly hair, now grown back.

Hermione tried not to let nerves over take her. She really had wanted to be the one to gently break the news of her engagement to her friends. Looking at cute Scorpius, who was all smiles and eating with gusto, she really couldn't be angry with him. Of course this did have to be the evening that Harry and Ginny had invited Ron and his new girlfriend, Susan Bones, to dinner.

Hermione noticed that Ron's fork was still mid-air on the way to his mouth as he stared at her and Draco. As each second ticked by, Ron's face turned another darker shade of red. Harry and Hermione noticed simultaneously that their old friend was going to explode. They had seen it enough through the years to know that this would not be pretty.

Harry nudged Ginny, "Take the children upstairs…now," and he slid his chair back and stood up.

"James, Albus, Scorpius…let's go upstairs and get some toys to play with. If you go up there really fast, I'll bring up some dessert." The boys all jumped up from their chairs and started racing each other up the stairs. Their laughter could be heard the whole way.

Hermione looked back at Ron, who now was standing by the side of his chair with clenched fists and barred teeth. "How can you two be engaged? He's Draco Malfoy!"

Hermione tried hard to control her breathing and her temper. She was not in the mood to butt heads with her old friend, but it looked like she had no choice. The time had finally arrived to stand up to him.

"Ronald Bilius Weasley, I know full well who this man is and I love him. He saved me and he's changed from who he was years ago. For Gods sake! We all have changed…except you maybe." Hermione muttered the last bit with hatred in her voice, but everyone in the room still heard.

He tried to step around the table, except Susan latched onto his arm. "He will bring you nothing but misery Hermione." Ron shouted the words to her, ignoring the new woman at his side whose face had turned very pale at his outburst.

"Oh Ronald, those are choice words, aren't they? Out of everyone in this room, you have brought the most misery into my life. Everything Draco did to me in our youth is nothing compared with what you pulled before I left England." Hermione wanted to run around the table and strangle the redhead, her hands visibly shaking now.

Hermione could feel Draco standing up and putting his hands on her shoulders in support. He said nothing, but she felt him there; it felt good and it felt safe. No one would hurt her with Draco by her side.

Harry cleared his throat, "This really isn't the time nor place for you two to get into this. It's many years too late and you've both moved on."

"Maybe you should explain the moving on part to him then, Harry," Hermione pointed over to a seething Ron.

Ron started to talk again but didn't get far before Susan smacked his arm and grabbed his hand. "We're leaving. Thank you for dinner Harry and Ginny. Congratulations Hermione and Draco." Ron's protests fell to deaf ears and she dragged him out of the room and out of Harry's house.

As soon as they left, the tension fell away. The adults all started laughing and Hermione fell into her chair. "Where's the dessert?" They heard James yelling down the stairs. Which only made all of them laugh even harder.

"Just remember," Harry said looking at Hermione, "If you promise sweets to your children and you don't follow through, they won't ever forget."

Hermione looked over to Draco who took her hand into his and gave it a firm squeeze. "It's absolutely true love. Scorp has a nasty sweet tooth too."

She was grateful that Ron and Susan had left, though she knew her problems with him weren't exactly resolved. It needed to happen before she ever married Draco. It would be painful, but it had been many years in the making and it was time to solve it once and for all.

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Later that night back at Hermione's flat, she sat and worried as she lay in bed waiting for Draco to come into her bedroom. He was off in the other room reading Scorpius his fourth or fifth bedtime story. They hadn't talked yet about what had happened earlier that evening between her and Ron. She knew it would come up, and as they would be getting married soon, the story needed to be told.

Draco came wandering in, looking tired and ready to drop. "I think it's time to head to Flourish and Blotts for new books for that boy. If I have to read the same story again I may go certifiably insane." He crawled into bed and reached out to pull her towards him. She fit so perfectly into his arms and it all felt so right.

"I'm sorry about earlier." Hermione felt Draco stroking his hands through her hair. She could feel herself calming down as his hands ran through her hair.

"There's nothing to be sorry for. I think we all realize that it's not your problem, except Weasley, whose problem it truly is and he's too dense to see it." Draco's words made her laugh.

She closed her eyes as Draco was lulling her to sleep, until he asked the question she'd been dreading hearing from him.

"So what did Weasley do that caused you to leave England and your life here?" Hermione stiffened in Draco's arms as she thought how she wanted to answer the question. She had hoped to avoid this question for as long as possible, but after tonight's fiasco at Harry's house, the time had finally come.

Hermione sighed and sat up so she could look at Draco. If she was going to tell secrets about her life, she wanted to be able to read his expressions.

"Only two of us know the truth, me and Ron. It happened right after Fred's funeral. All of the Weasley brothers drank a little too much that day and into the evening." Hermione became lost in her memories of that long ago night that had changed her world.

"It was late and we were still up because Ron said he couldn't sleep. I mentioned how I wanted to go to Australia to find my parents."

Draco looked puzzled as he cocked his head staring at her. "What were your parents doing in Australia?"

Hermione sighed and fell back against her pillow, flinging her arm over her eyes. "I modified their memories before Harry, Ron and me went on the Horcrux hunt. I had a feeling that Voldemort would be coming for them soon. I didn't want them hurt, so I erased myself from their memories and their lives." The tears were falling down her cheeks.

"Where are your parents now love? You never talk about them."

"They are still in Australia," she said trying to stop crying, "When I finally located them I wasn't able to return their memories back to what it was. Maybe it was for the best. They had opened a book store and looked happy."

"You do know maybe there is more we could do." Draco moved her chin so she was looking at him. "You have more reasons now than ever to find them."

"It's because of my parents that started our argument that night…

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_**Seven years earlier:**_

Hermione moved to the stove to set the kettle of water on so they could have their evening tea. After the long day of Fred's funeral and the get together afterwards, they both were tired and not themselves. Maybe it hadn't been the right moment to bring this up, but Hermione was anxious to head to Australia to find her parents. She missed them so much. After all that she had been through the past year, she again needed their love and strength in her life.

"Ron, I think it's time I go and locate my parents now that the war is over, " she said as she pulled two teacups out of the cupboard.

Hermione heard what sounded almost like a growl from behind her. A kitchen chair came hurling towards her and she jumped out of the way before it crashed against the wall.

"You are so selfish! It's not fair!" Ron screamed at her. "It's easy for you to just up and leave and go get your family back."

Hermione's hand lay against her pocket where she kept her wand. Ron's outburst was making her nervous.

"Wouldn't it be nice for me to go and bring Fred back? No! I can't because he's dead and buried; gone forever." Ron's shouts were mixed with the tears that now were coursing down his face. "This is all your fault."

"Ron, how is Fred's death my fault? It was a Death Eater who hit the wall that crumbled down on Fred." Hermione couldn't believe the words that were coming out of Ron's mouth. How could he even believe that she was at fault for his brother's death?

"It's your filthy kind that caused this war! You mudbloods should have never been allowed into our world."

Hermione stood in shock at hearing the words coming out of Ron's mouth. Never in a million years did she think she'd hear Ron using that word. It had to be the copious amount of alcohol he'd drunk that was at fault.

Ron rushed to her side, raised his hand and slapped her face. The stinging blow sent her toppling into the counter top, sending the teacups crashing to the floor. He wasn't finished as his foot came out kicking her in the ribs over and over again.

Hermione's sobs were uneven as she tried to catch her breath. His strong arms bent down to lift her up, and his fist punched her in the face as her cheekbone cracked from the blow.

"Stop Ron, please I know…you don't…mean it." She plead with the man she loved.

"Yes, I do, bitch. I wish you'd never come to Hogwarts. I wish you were dead!" Ron spat in her face and tugged her hair, pulling a huge clump out in his hand. Hermione struggled to reach her wand, but Ron's hand knocked it away as she watched it roll across the floor. She knew she needed to do something soon because Ron had lost all control as he continued to curse her telling her how she needed to die.

With barely a whisper she said, "Accio wand," and her wand came shooting towards her hand. "Stupefy". Ron fell onto the floor near her. Hermione struggled to get up with her broken ribs and other injuries she knew Ron had given her.

_**Today:**_

Hermione sat in the bed feeling the tears streaming down her face. She'd tried to forget what had happened that night, but it had always stayed with her. She looked up at Draco whose face was now a darker shade of red she'd never seen before.

"I'm going to go and kill that bastard," Draco moved to leave the bed, but she grabbed his arm and hugged it to her.

"No, Draco. I'm not so sure how much he even remembers from that night."

"But he tried to kill you Hermione! You are lucky that you were able to Stupefy the git." Draco's arms scooped her up and he laid her across his lap.

"Why did you never tell Harry and Ginny?" Draco's hands kept busy as they smoothed down her hair, when really it was probably done to comfort himself too.

"I wasn't so sure that they would believe what he'd said that night or even that they would take my side in the matter. All of the Weasleys, including Harry, had a hard time with Fred's death." Hermione buried her head in Draco's chest, smelling the strong, comforting smell of his cologne.

"So you just left then?" Draco sounded more surprised than she thought he would. At the time it had seemed like the only logical thing to do. The man she loved had betrayed her in the worst way. She sighed before continuing her story.

"Yes, I gathered my things and found a safe spot until the next morning. Then I took an international portkey to France and never looked back. I spent a few weeks in the hospital there recovering before I started working for The French Ministry of Magic." Her voice sounded so sad it made Draco's heart feel such pain for her at the loss of a friend, lover, and having to flee her home country leaving everything she knew behind.

Draco was silent as his hands were tangled up in her hair, twirling the curls around his fingers. He could hear her soft sobs as she fell asleep in his arms. He knew he would have a hard time not thrashing Ron Weasley the next time he saw him. He deserved that and so much more. How could any man who claimed to love a woman abuse her like that, even in the throes of grief? Draco could never imagine hurting Hermione that way and vowed that some day he would make things right for her. As his eyes closed in exhaustion, he tried to fall asleep with images of how he'd torture Weasley running through his mind.

* * *

Xxxxxxx

_**Sorry for the long delay in updating this story. Real Life not only hit me hard, but in a bad way. I wish I could share details, but let's just say this Mama was not happy with something that happened to one of her kids. The past several months have been hard on my mind and heart. I'll try to update my stories more often, as things are finally settling down a bit.**_


	25. Chapter 25

**WARNING: Some blood, violence and gore in this chapter!**

Blinded Chapter 25

Hermione hated working late, especially now that she had someone to go home to. Draco always left right on time so he could be home with Scorpius and spend the rest of the evening with him. Hermione tried to be there to, except this past week. Her department had been bombarded with cases of wizards ending up either dead or with their memories modified. Harry and his team of Aurors had also been working overtime to figure out what now was going on in their world.

As Hermione walked down the quiet hallway the dark shadows made her anxious. Looking around, she noticed that the department seemed to be empty, which was unusual lately. Where was the team of Aurors that were on night duty? A tingle of uneasiness shot down her spine. The only sound she heard was the click-clack of her high heels as she hurried towards Harry's office. He had a file she needed to read tonight before the daily briefing in the morning.

The squeaking of a door hinge made her almost jump out of her shoes. She'd never been one to be jumpy when it came to be alone that is, until after she gone through the horrendous experience of being kidnapped and almost killed.

She looked back behind her and saw no one there.

"I'm not going to let my imagination spook me here."

Saying it out loud would give her the courage she needed right now. The problem was, she didn't even believe what she was saying. As she twirled in a circle she looked all around her. Her heart was beating overtime as she wished she'd not stayed late tonight. She tried to shake off her fears and started to walk as fast as her high heels would let her. Her ears now heard every little sound that The Ministry For Magic could make at this time of night. It was also one of those times that she wished her Muggle cell phone worked in magical buildings. She would be calling Draco right this minute. With no phone, she reached in her sleeve and pulled out her wand. With her hand holding out her wand, she spun 360 degrees and glanced at every unopened door looking for any movement. She could feel that someone was there and wondered why they hadn't made themselves known.

"Who's there? Come out and face me you coward," the words sounded fierce, but inside she didn't feel so confident.

A bright light shot down the hallway that blinded Hermione. She reeled back as the light hit her. Realizing too late what it truly was, Hermione was knocked back by the force of the unknown spell. Her head hit the wall and her neck wrenched from the force of hitting so hard. A loud groan came from her mouth. She tried to focus on the danger that was in front of her, but her head was still swirling from the knock against the wall. Hermione knew that the danger wasn't going away, so she cast a few spells down the hall and then everything went dark.

* * *

Draco held Scorpius in his lap as he read the fifth bedtime story to his very tired son. He glanced at the mantle clock seeing how late it was getting and there was no sign of Hermione.

"Papa," Scorp yawned one more time, "Keep reading."

Draco looked back at the story and quickly finished the book. Putting the book aside he swept the boy up high in his arms.

"Bedtime little dragon." He jogged to Scorpius's bedroom and tucked his son into bed. "You fall asleep quickly son. It's way past your bedtime."

"No, Papa. I want to kiss Herminee good night." Scorpius pouted as he whinged at his father. "Please let me…stay awake." His little eyes closed mid-protest.

Draco leaned down to kiss his son's curly locks, loving that his son had grown so attached to Hermione. Everything had turned out great, considering how mucked up things had been several months ago. His son was back, safe and healthy, and he was engaged to a beautiful and intelligent women. Though right now his chest hurt with the fear that something wasn't right. Since everything was fine here at home, then that only meant one thing, something was up with Hermione. It was 10:00 o'clock and she should have been home right now.

Going to his fireplace he went to make a floo call to the Potter residence. Maybe Hermione had stopped at her friend's house on the way home and lost track of time.

"Potter…are you home?" Draco waited for an answer hoping against hope that Hermione was there.

"Malfoy? What's up? It's late and we're all heading to bed."

Draco's stomach turned at hearing Potter's words. "Is Hermione there at your place?" Even before asking the words he knew what the answer would be.

"What? Hermione's not there. Step aside, I'm coming through" Harry emerged from the fireplace with a worried look on his face. "What's going on?"

Draco hesitated as he saw the same fear on Potter's face that he knew was probably on his own too. "She hasn't come home yet. I'm…worried." He ran his hand through his hair, unaware of going back to his nervous habit. Draco started pacing the length of the living room and every awful scenario was racing through his head.

"I left at 7:00 and she said she had a few more things to do and then she was leaving. She's getting a case ready for tomorrow." Now Harry was pacing up and down the front room along side Draco.

"We've got to go now. I have a bad feeling, despite that she'll be as angry as hell that we'll be sweeping in there if nothing is really wrong." Draco headed back to the fireplace. "But, I'm willing to take that risk. Are you with me Potter?"

"Absolutely Malfoy. Let me call for Ginny to come get Scorpius."

Within minutes Draco and Harry were on their way to the ministry ready for whatever they'd find when they got there.

Draco and Harry ran straight to level two where they knew Hermione would probably be. None of the Aurors assigned to night duty seemed to be at their station, which baffled Harry greatly, seeing this was his own department.

"Where is everyone? There's always supposed to be someone here at night on call. Even the night watch men are gone." Harry looked around, perplexed at what he saw, or didn't see.

Draco burst into Hermione's office only to find her not there, but her lamp still lit, and her files spread out over her desk. Right there was a sign that Hermione was still somewhere in the building because she never left a messy desk. "She's here somewhere Potter. She'd never leave her office looking like this before she left."

"Agreed Malfoy. Something's up and that means she's in trouble. I'm going to my office, come on."

Harry quickly left, running to his office. Draco followed with his wand out. They both skidded to a halt at seeing blood spattered on the wall. Looking around they first missed Hermione slumped against the wall. They couldn't miss the wizard sliced through, his body hanging on the broken door leading into Harry's office.

"Ugh, sweet Merlin! What a mess!" Draco felt his stomach jolt. Despite his years as a junior Death Eater, his stomach had never been very strong to view the gore that often came with the territory.

Harry turned, looking all around until he spotted Hermione. "There she is!" his voice shouted out due to adrenaline.

Draco's head snapped from the mess at the office door to his fiancé lying in a heap further down the hallway. Having longer legs than Harry, he got to her first, pulling Hermione into his arms.

"Love, can you hear me? Gods, is she hurt anywhere?" His hands were patting her down for any injuries, but finding no blood until his hand swept behind her head. Feeling the wetness, his hand shot out staring at the blood.

"Potter, she's bleeding from her head. I'm not sure if it's from impact or from a spell. We need to get her to St. Mungos." Draco tried to stay calm though his heart was trying to jump out of his skin.

"Before anyone moves her, we need to check for any other kind of spell damage. The more information we can give the healers, the more quickly they can help her." Harry started to do a scan for spell damage. "I found a few spells, including something stronger that probably knocked her out." Draco held her in his arms while Harry worked.

Harry stood up and sent out his Patronus with a message to St. Mungos. Within minutes, healers came to help stabilize Hermione enough to take her to the hospital.

"Malfoy, go with Hermione, I need to stay here and clean up the mess and find out who this is. This is going to be like putting the pieces of a puzzle together to figure out who this was."

Draco grimaced at his words, but he was glad that it was this stranger Harry was talking about and not the woman that he loved.

* * *

Hermione opened her eyes with the bright light hurting her eyes. Where was she? Looking around she groaned when she realized where she was, St. Mungos. Why did she keep ending up here? She was starting to feel like Harry who had always been a frequent visitor to the hospital wing at Hogwarts. Next, she recognized the bright Malfoy hair that was resting on her bedspread.

"Draco. Draco?" She tried to wake him but he didn't stir and kept on sleeping. Hermione sighed trying to stretch as she ached all over. She tried hard to remember what had exactly happened last night.

"Are you awake?" Ginny came walking into the room holding Scorpius's hand. Hermione smiled as she saw Scorp looking up at her with his eyes so full of worry. He hesitated clinging onto Ginny's hand not sure what he should do next.

Hermione put out her arms, "Come here big guy and give me a hug." Scorpius smiled and came running to her bed. He knocked into his father who finally stirred.

"What's up?" Draco asked sleepily.

"I need a Herminee hug," Scorp said smiling. Draco scooped him up and dropped him on the bed.

"Be gentle mate. Our Herminee has been dueling with the bad guys again." Draco said with a smirk. Hermione shook her head at him.

Scorpius gave her a gentle hug around her middle. His head lay against her as he snuggled in. "I missed you. I slept at Potter's house."

Draco laughed at hearing his son refer to Harry as Potter just as he had been doing for years. Even Ginny Potter stood there giggling at hearing Scorpius.

"I missed you so very much." Hermione hugged Scorp and meant every word. It amazed her how quickly she had grown to love this little boy. The thought that she would soon be his mum, made her even more protective of him.

"We are heading back to our house after we pick up some ice cream for the boys." Ginny said.

"That was my idea." Scorp said with a huge grin on his face as he hopped off of the bed and went skipping across the room.

"That's my boy." Draco beamed at Scorpius. "Come give your Papa a hug before you go." Scorp came running back and jumped into Draco's arms.

"I love you Papa."

"I love you too son."

Hermione couldn't help the tears that came when she viewed this tender scene. What a difference with these two Malfoy "men" compared to Draco and his stern Father who never showed much love towards his son.

"I'll be by later to collect you little man. Be respectful and no trouble."

"I know Papa." Scorp said in a singsong voice. "I know how to act."

As Ginny and Scorp left, Draco turned back to Hermione and rubbed his hand along his stiff neck. He stood studying her for a moment. The atmosphere in the room suddenly changed. "What happened last night?"

Hermione gave a big sigh, "I went to Harry's office to pick up a file he'd left there for me. As I walked along I noticed how quiet it was. It's like the entire ministry had emptied and I was the only one there."

"Why didn't you leave?" Draco was a little irritated she could tell by his tone of voice. She wasn't sure she liked the accusatory tone either.

"You know me, I'm not scared easily. I didn't even realize anything was wrong until I heard noises in the hall leading to Harry's office. Then I knew someone was there."

Hermione hated to admit the next part to Draco because she already knew he was overprotective of her since her kidnapping. "That's when I became worried and wished I had my cell phone with me."

"Did you ever see a face?" Draco questioned her. "Do you have any idea of who it was that was waiting for you?"

"No, I didn't see a face and why are you getting so irate at me?"

Draco was now standing in a defensive pose, along with a red face. Hermione knew that this next bit of information wasn't going to be good.

"Harry came in here earlier, and after picking up all of the pieces of the wizard you sliced with your hex, the MacAteers are down one more family member."

Hermione sat with her head down, stunned at his words. "How did he get in? What happened to the Aurors that were supposed to be on duty?"

"Luckily for them, they were only knocked out by a good old fashioned Muggle knock to the head. Ron and Harry found them bound in a closet by the doors at the lift, right where you enter the second level. Once they were out of the way, it was only you and he left alone."

With frustration she looked up at him. "So what are you trying to say with this whole story Draco? I know I'm lucky that I'm not dead."

"You know how much I love you and how worried I've been about you."

He didn't raise his voice often these days, especially to her, but he couldn't control himself right now. Hermione was feeling a mixture of fear, anger and sadness. She felt like she was at war with her independent side and the side that wanted to be Draco's wife. She knew she needed to tread lightly with this whole conversation. They were both tired and stressed from these events, and with the threat of the MacAteers still very real to them, it was like a wall standing in the way of their happiness.

"I love you too and I don't want you to be angry with me." Hermione said with a quiet voice.

"I'm not angry at you Hermione, I'm worried about you. These men are smart and ruthless and will do anything to get to you." Draco came and sat down next to her.

"So, until Harry and his men have found them, no more working late. You can't stay there by yourself."

Hermione didn't like how this sounded like an order and not a suggestion. She almost felt like it were Ron speaking and not Draco. He had always ordered her around, despite people thinking she'd been the bossy one.

"So you're saying I need a babysitter." The words slipped from her brain to her mouth before she'd realized it.

"That's not what I'm saying." Draco's gray eyes became a shade darker, especially when he was upset about something.

"You have to realize part of loving me is loving who I am, all of the parts of me. I can't be tied down and confined at home. I won't be happy and neither will you." Her words came out a little sharper than intended. "Maybe we need to think about our situation a little better before we make anything permanent."

Draco gave her a glare that would compare to the ones he used to give her back in second year. He stood and brushed off his pants. "Well, Miss Independent, let me know when you decide what you want. I'll be at Malfoy Manor with my son." He turned his back on Hermione and left the room.

Hermione sat alone a few minutes wondering what the hell had just happened, and then she burst into tears. She flung herself back against her bed and pulled the covers up over her head. Gods! What had she just done? Did he just leave her? Did this mean their engagement was off?

* * *

_**Sorry dear readers to leave you here but it needed to be done. Welcome to all of the new readers to the story. I hope that you like it and I would be very happy to have any reviews you can spare to give. This story needs some love and attention from its readers. Hopefully a new chapter will be up within a week so you can find out what happens with our couple. **_


	26. Chapter 26

Blinded Chapter 26

Hermione had been home from St. Mungos for several hours now. She had gotten to her house hoping that she would find Draco and Scorpius there, but neither one were in sight. True to his word, they had left and were back at Malfoy Manor. The house felt so empty and cold without them there.

Dropping back down on the sofa she looked over at a pile of toys. Scorpius should be there playing with them. Draco should be sitting by her side offering her a glass of white wine. She had gotten used to spending the evenings talking together and then reading bedtime stories to Scorpius. Now was a good time to be moping about. Why had she reacted the way she did to what Draco had said? Had it all been that bad? Hermione crossed her arms in front of her and sighed as she tried to figure things out. Staring at the ring that glared brightly on her finger wasn't helping her mood. What did she need to do? Better yet, what was she willing to allow him to do. She knew Draco was old fashioned but she hadn't realized how much until now.

Feeling tired and disgusted with herself, she jumped up and headed to her bedroom. Even looking at the bed made her sad. Draco should be there, climbing into bed with her right now. Why did her relationships never work out? Turning off the lamp, she tried to fall asleep, but it was a long time before her brain turned off and she was able to sleep.

* * *

Hermione wore all black the next day from her black silk blouse, her straight black skirt, black hose and black shoes. She barged into the department with a stern look on her face and a black cloud over her head to boot. If someone tried to say something to her, the stare she gave to them quickly made them hold their tongue and keep their mouth closed.

Ron Weasley made the mistake of standing in the aisle, which was in her path, and Hermione almost knocked him over as she pushed her way through and to her office. The slamming of her door sealed the message that she wanted to be left alone.

Ron turned to anyone that would listen, "Who pissed in her Weetabix this morning?" He laughed at his own joke, while only getting a few fake laughs from his colleagues.

"I wouldn't mess with her Ron. You should know her well enough now to stay out of her way." Harry stood watching and listening to the whole thing.

"This doesn't happen to be your fault is it Ron?" Harry asked with a skeptical look.

"Gods no! I haven't said a word to her since, you know, the other night at your place." Ron's face was red as he seemed to recall the chaos that he had caused while at dinner at the Potter's house.

Harry looked once again at Hermione's door and tried to decide if it would be a wise move to go in and ask her what was wrong. Harry thought of himself as a reasonable and wise human being, but willingly going to confront a wild animal wasn't a smart thing to do. At this moment, he stared at Hermione's office door while contemplating the many things she would do to him if he burst in right now to question her.

"I wouldn't do it if I were you." Ron said to him over his shoulder. "I can hear your brain ticking from here and I would just head back to my own office."

"But she clearly has something…"

"No, mate, don't be a hero this time. Let it go. When she wants to talk she'll come to us." Ron patted his back and went to sit at his own desk and opened up the nearest file.

Harry ran his hand through his hair and shook his head. Maybe Ron was right and he should steer clear of the ball of emotion that had stormed through just minutes ago. Shrugging his shoulders at Ron, he turned around and walked to his own office. He'd check on her later and hopefully she'd be calmed down by then so as not to attack him.

* * *

Draco sat glaring at the paperwork on his desk. His mind could not settle down long enough to form any complete sentence on the memo he had been drafting. It didn't help that he had hardly slept at all the night before. He missed Hermione. He missed falling asleep holding her in his arms at night. He missed waking up next to her in the morning. He missed everything about her. He was angry at his own pride too. He would never admit it to anyone, but sometimes he really hated being a Malfoy. It also had been hell trying to explain to Scorpius why they had left Hermione's house where they had been living for over a month and a half. He had cried his little self to sleep after throwing a fit when his papa had taken him away from his "Herminee". Draco had been bonked in the head with Scorp's toys as he unleashed his underage magic showing his anger at his father. Draco hadn't been able to even get close enough to his bed to comfort him with how upset the little guy had been.

So no sleep, an upset son, and a fiancé angry with him too…life had gone tits up for Draco Malfoy. How could he have gone from being the happiest he'd ever been, now to the loneliest? It wasn't fair. He beat his quill against the desk to a fast paced rhythm, thump-thump-thump. Blimey, he was driving himself crazy. He knew all he needed to do was go to Hermione's office and apologize. His gut seized up thinking about doing that one small thing, though his heart knew it was the right thing to do. Draco really became upset thinking about how her friends down in her department. They were probably comforting her and telling her about the mistake she'd made in getting involved with Draco Malfoy. He could hear them now. His eyes narrowed at thinking of Harry Potter putting his arm around her while she cried and Potter badmouthed him. His thoughts were making him so bitter that he broke the quill in two and threw the pieces across the room.

"I'm not going to let that plonker bad mouth me to my fiancé." Draco jumped up and put his freshly pressed dress robes back on. He would look his best if he were going to confront those Gryffindors.

As he exited his office he shouted at his assistant, "I'll be back…later when I…never mind. I'll be back." He stuck his chin in the air and flipped his hair as he walked by, trying not to notice his assistant rolling her eyes at him as he practically ran to catch the lift. Draco was off on a mission to claim his woman back. Damn both of their pride!

* * *

Hermione knew she probably looked like a wreck. After rushing into her office like a mad woman, she'd put up a silencing charm and cried like a baby. After all these years of finally finding a man she truly loved and wanting to marry him, and now this. She didn't know if Draco really wanted to call things off. She had wanted to go to him the night before, but she hadn't wanted to be the one to cave in first. She reached down into her handbag and grabbed a hankie to wipe her eyes and nose. Then she burst into tears again when she saw the embroidered letters of "_**DM"**_ on the edge and it smelled of Draco's cologne.

Her heart also broke as she realized what this must have been doing to sweet Scorpius. He was probably confused and wondering where she was. She sniffled again as she realized this had all been her fault. Draco had only been worried about her. Talk about "Pride goeth before the fall". She had been arrogant about how she could take care of herself, when she had really fallen on her face in that department. She wouldn't have been in the hospital if she had been able to take care of herself. Her overconfidence had put her in danger and she had only been thinking of her alone, and not of their soon to be family. Would Draco forgive her? If she promised to listen to him and not act so prideful maybe they could work this all out.

Before any more negative thoughts could form in her mind, her door was flung open despite the weak ward she had put up. Maybe she had hoped that someone would come and see why she was in such a foul mood. Someone had come, but it hadn't been Harry whom she had figured would take a chance on her bad temper as he always had done. The person who had breached her self-made pity party was the person she wanted to see the most, but also dreaded the encounter. Draco stood in the doorway, hesitating as his eyes surveyed the scene. Hermione tried to wipe her eyes knowing her makeup was probably smeared. As they looked at one another neither one said a word.

She stood up behind her desk smoothing down her blouse and skirt, her nervousness clearly showing. Draco stood clenching his fists as he continued looking at her.

"I missed you," his voice broke the awkward silence in the room.

Biting her lip she nodded, "I missed you too." Coming around the desk, Hermione ran towards Draco who opened up his arms as she fell into his embrace.

"I'm sorry Draco. I really am." His arms hugged her to him even closer as his hands played with her curls.

"I shouldn't have gotten so upset love. I need to remember whom I've fallen in love with." His voice rumbled deeply in her ear.

Hermione laughed, "I need to do the same."

"I'm not used to your wonderful independent self. I'm more used to a simpering, damsel in distress type of woman."

She looked at him and smiled. "You'll never see that with me…hopefully. At least if I have something to say about it."

His hand came up to cup her cheek. "I now know I should have realized that. You're Hermione Granger…soon to be Hermione Malfoy, if you'll still have me."

Hermione pulled him to her and kissed him. "Of course. You're not getting away that easily from me."

Draco dove in this time for a kiss as his hands lifted her up and sat her on her desk. Her legs wrapped around his waist as the kiss continued, long and hard. Even with the door swinging open did nothing to stop their make-up session.

"I want to know…OK, nothings wrong I see. I'm leaving now." The couple stopped long enough to see a blushing Harry Potter running out and slamming the door shut.

"He's a good friend,' Hermione said.

"He just needs to learn how to knock." Draco said grabbing his wand and sending a locking charm at the door, "Colloportus".

No one else bothered coming in to Hermione's office for the rest of the day.

* * *

"Papa, what surprise do you have for me?" Scorpius was practically yelling in his excitement.

"It's a surprise son, so I can't tell you." Draco kept a firm hold on his son's hand as he led him down Diagon Alley.

"Am I going to like it?" Scorp wasn't going to give up on questioning about his surprise. Ever since Draco had come home from work and mentioned the surprise, Scorpius hadn't stopped asking his father about it.

"I know you will." Draco grinned down at his small son who was almost skipping with happiness.

As they neared the new ice cream parlour, which used to be Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlour, Scorpius's face lit up like it was Christmas day. His eyes grew large as he stared at the humongous ice cream cone that twirled round and round, which was put out to entice customers in. As it made each turn, the color of the ice cream changed showing the many varieties that were sold inside.

"I want that one," Scorpius said pointing to the purple and yellow colored one now making its way around. "No, I'm changed my mind, I want that one instead." He now pointed to the brown and blue ice cream cone that didn't look at all appealing to Draco.

"How about we go inside mate and see all of the flavors inside. I hear they let you try a taste before you choose your own cone." Draco tugged on his hand.

"Really? They'll let me try all of the flavors?" Scorp's face showed his surprise.

"Um, son, I'm not sure we have time to try all of the flavors, but we can sample a few. Sound good?"

"Yes!" the small Malfoy shook his head up and down.

Scorpius rushed in staring at the large display housing all of the many flavors of ice cream. He didn't notice the woman who walked up to his side and started speaking to him. "I hear that pink and green flavored ice cream will turn your tongue green for a week."

Scorpius at first was so entranced by the ice cream that he didn't look at who was talking to him. Then he turned his head and opened his mouth wide, "Herminee!" he shouted so loudly that every person in the building could hear him.

Before she knew what was happening, he jumped up into her arms, and she barely grabbed him before he fell or could kncok her backwards. "I missed you very, very, very, much." Scorp wouldn't let go of her as his arms hugged her around her neck.

"Oh love, I missed you too." Hermione couldn't hold back as joyful tears came to her eyes. Draco watched as the two people he loved most in the world looked so happy.

"Oh, " Scorpius said his voice showing wonder, "I think you're the surprise that Papa told me about. Huh?"

"Yes I am." Hermione smiled at Draco who was standing behind his son. "He's a smart one, this little guy."

"Yes he is. Too smart sometimes for his own good and very stubborn too."

"Can I have ice cream now? There are lots of flavors I have to try." Scorp wiggled down from her arms and started pointing to all of the flavors that interested him.

"We may be here awhile you know." Draco said to her.

"As long as I'm with the both of you we can stay here forever." She leaned in to give him a long, juicy kiss.

"Yum. Someone was sampling the ice cream before we got here. You taste very sweet."

"Well, what was I supposed to do here while waiting for you two? I needed to take advantage of my current location." Hermione winked at him. "That flavor you're tasting is the Sticky Tofu Pudding and Salted Caramel."

"I think it almost tastes as good as you do." Draco wiggled his eyebrows at her as that ever-familiar look of lust crossed his face. He leaned in to taste her again and stopped when he felt a tug on his pants.

"You guys are silly. You're supposed to taste the ice cream, not each other." Scorpius said very seriously.

"Oh, that's right son; my mistake." Bowing and moving his arm in front of him he said, "Right this way my lady so you can taste the ice cream."

"Thank you kind sir. I would love to do exactly that." She moved towards the counter, but turned her head back around and mouthed, "Later." Naturally, with her running her tongue over her lips and giving him her bedroom eyes, made him very uncomfortable in his nether regions as he knew where he wanted that tongue exploring later.

* * *

_**Sorry for the wait between chapters. I had most of this written last week, but I had a HUGE work project that had to come first. I hope that you liked this chapter and promise that more will be coming soon. Yes, this chapter didn't have anything about the kidnappers, but we'll be hearing more from them soon too.**_

_**BTW, who has been to Harry Potter World and tried the ice cream in **__**Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlour? We have and my favorite was the Butterbeer ice cream. Others in my group liked the Earl Grey and Lavender and the Strawberry and Peanut Butter. What was your favorite? Please leave a review if you have time. I love to hear from you!**_


	27. Chapter 27

_**There are a few lemons and limes in this chapter for those who may or may not like them. I just thought I'd warn you! **_

* * *

Blinded Chapter 27

"I don't want to go to bed." Scorpius said in a tired voice. "I never get to stay up with you and have fun." He stomped his foot and folded his arms and glared at both Draco and Hermione.

"Son, we are also getting ready to go to bed, just like you." Draco tried to reason with the strong-headed toddler.

"The only difference is that we are planning on having fun when we go to bed." Hermione whispered in Draco's ear while her hands ran down his back and pinched him on his behind.

"You're not helping," he whispered back to her as he clenched his teeth while trying not to react to her touch.

Scorp's anger soon turned to tears as he flopped down and started to beat his hands against the wood floor. "You're not fair!"

Hermione stood there watching Draco to see what his next move would be. "This is your territory Papa. I'm baffled on how to handle this one." She put her hands in the air and walked down the hallway and leaned against the wall.

"Thanks for the support." Draco said as he scooped the crying boy off of the floor. He looked his son in the eyes and said very firmly, "Stop crying now or there will be no stories tonight. It is straight to bed and lights out."

"No, no, Papa! I want a story!" Scorpius screamed out. "Herminee help me!"

Hermione's head came up and she looked at father and son. The elder Malfoy had a red face and looked as stern as she had ever seen him when dealing with Scorpius. The younger Malfoy, tear streaked face and arms reaching out almost scared her. She didn't want to be in the middle of this disagreement. But, this was something that they hadn't talked about yet. This was something that had never been breached yet in their relationship with their soon to be family. Where was her place when it came to making decisions concerning Scorpius? If she was going to be Scorp's mother, did she have a say in disciplining him? Would Draco welcome her interference or would he want her to stay out of it and let him be the authoritarian figure?

Biting at her lip, she looked at both of the faces she had grown to love. One looked so distressed, while the other looked on at her with encouragement and love. He was helping her make this decision easier. His eyes spoke volumes right now and she knew what she needed to do to make the right start in parenting this boy.

"Scorpius, you heard your Papa. Either you stop crying and then get a bedtime story or keep crying and go to bed with no story." Scorpius's eyes grew large as he listened to her and sniffled, wiping his eyes.

"You are both so mean. I can't stop crying," Scorpius kept screaming and was so upset his whole body was shaking. "Stories...I want stories."

"You're not making a good choice." Draco looked back at Hermione looking almost as stressed as his son. "It is straight to bed for you and no stories tonight. I am done!"

They started walking down the hallway towards Scorp's room, Draco turned back towards her, "Are you coming?" He looked at her and she came scurrying along glad the crisis was over for the moment and happy that she had come through her first hurdle as a parent without any injuries.

* * *

They grabbed hands and tiptoed quietly out of the room. They didn't want to wake up the boy who'd finally cried himself to sleep.

Finally they'd have some time alone. The quick glances they gave each other as they walked into the bedroom and shut the door excited them both. Draco was going to make sure that Hermione paid up on her promise of giving him some much needed attention. It always seemed like "things" happened to stop them. It wasn't always the big things like Hermione being hurt and in the hospital, but most often it was the tiny things; Scorpius had a bad dream or needed a glass of water, one of them were sick or too tired from working all week, or a petty argument ruined the mood. It was funny how life tried so hard to keep them from being alone and together.

Draco wasn't going to have any of the interruptions tonight. He sealed off Hermione's townhouse so no owls from work could get through until morning. Harry would have to deal with things on his own without bothering Hermione. He didn't have to worry about Scorp tonight because he'd secretly left one of his house elves in the room to watch over the boy. He didn't want to tell Hermione about it or she'd go full blown on her lecture about abusing house elves and that in itself would ruin the mood.

Draco reached up to pull Hermione down onto the bed with him. His eyes trailed down the length of her body, from her pert breasts to the sway of her curvaceous hips. His hands followed the path his eyes had just taken. The gentle smile she gave him turned his body harder than any piece of bare skin could.

"I've missed being with you." Draco's fingers trailed up and down her thigh. His touch tickled her skin as he found the clasp on her skirt and unhooked it sliding it off her. The light pink, lacy knickers clung to her body, barely hiding the things he wanted to touch the most.

"At night, all I could think about was you and how I missed your touch," her words moving him forward to unbutton the silky blouse covering more of her than he wanted. He wasn't surprised at all to see the matching pink, lacy bra covering her full mounds. As she leaned forward to capture his lips with her own, she almost spilled out of the verily there lingerie.

"I think you have too much on Mr. Malfoy." Draco let her unbutton his shirt and slide it off his shoulders. She began to kiss down his chest, her tongue made a pathway down from his belly button to the waistband of his trousers. He hissed with pleasure feeling the wetness against his skin. The sound of his zipper sliding down, along with her fingers trailing along the front of him, sent chills down his spine.

His tented boxers was the only thing left on him as his trousers went falling to the floor.

"I need you." His voice whispered into her ear as his warm breath blew across her cheek.

"I want you." His lips kissed along the side of her neck and across her collarbone.

"You are my life now. I couldn't go on without you." His lips now found the valley between her breasts, pressing softly from one side over to the next. With a few quick movements he slid the straps off of her shoulder pulling the lacy bra down to expose her full breasts and erect nipples to him. The little buds tempted him so that he had to clasp one in his mouth, nibbling it softly between his teeth. The moan coming from his love only made him suck even harder, and then he moved over to give the other breast the same attention.

"Oh Gods that feels…so…good," her voice managed to wrench out, as his hands followed the curves of her hips to slide her knickers off. He smiled as he saw her throw her head back, eyes closed as the cool night air hit her bare skin.

His large hand moved to her center, finding the tiny bud that swelled under his touch. His fingers slid down to her center, dipping in and pulling her moisture up to her clit.

Draco loved feeling powerful at his job, but the kind of power he had to make her body moan with pleasure was the greatest feeling of all. With impatience he pulled off his boxers ready to fully make love to Hermione. With one thrust he slid into her as they both groaned at the action. There was nothing better than getting lost in each other. He almost wished she'd open her eyes and look at him as he continued to thrust into her. He wanted her to see all of the love and desire that would show on his face.

The scream from the other bedroom startled them both back into reality as Hermione's eyes opened and they broke apart.

"Master Draco," the Malfoy house elf popped into his bedroom with Scorpius in his arms who was still screaming and jumping around in the poor servant's arms.

"Papa! The bad man was there. He tried to hurt me again." Scorpius wiggled around and kicked his legs out at the tiny elf that was almost the same size as him.

"Fuck!" Draco jumped from the bed with his wand in his hand running into the boy's bedroom.

Scorpius with his feet finally on the floor jumped into the bed and snuggled into Hermione's arms. The little boy pressed up against her crying inconsolably.

Draco came running back into their bedroom. "No one was still there by the time I went in. Thank the Gods Mipsy was in there with him." He still gripped his wand tightly in his right hand and his left hand dragged through his now mussed up hair.

"I need to go floo call Potter and let him know." Draco started to go into the front room until he heard Scorpius's tiny voice.

"Papa, where are your clothes? Were you and Herminee getting ready to take a bath?" Scorp looked at his father standing totally nude by the bed, and then he looked up at Hermione who quickly pulled the sheet up to her neck.

"Oh dear God Draco, we've ruined your son," Hermione's cheeks blushed red as she sat perplexed at how to answer the boy.

Scorpius's next words only made things worse as he pointed to Draco's still semi-erect dick, "Papa! Yours is really big!"

Scorp pulled his pajama bottoms down and looked at his own penis. "Will mine be really big like that when I get bigger?"

Hermione lost it then and snorted with uncontrolled, nervous laughter especially when she saw the baffled look on Draco's face. "Umm, well you see…" All that he could come up with at the moment was a bit of stammering and the urge to cover himself up.

"How about you get a robe on before you go call Harry. We can talk about the birds and the bees some other time with Scorpius." She couldn't help but wink at Draco who nodded his head and walked into the bathroom muttering something about, "I didn't think I'd have to have this talk with him until many years from now."

Draco came rushing out now covered up in his robe. "I'll be back. After Harry get's here I'm going to have to perform Legilimency on Scorp and maybe the elf to see who exactly was in his room. I don't want to, but I'll be gentle."

It worried him immensely that whomever had been in that room had broken through the incredible strong and varied wards that he and Hermione had placed on the whole house. After this, there would be no choice except for them to move back to Malfoy Manor and erect new blood wards, and possibly use The Fidelius Charm to protect his family.

* * *

After Draco went into the front room, Scorpius eyed Hermione and then poked her protruding nipples that showed through the sheets. "What are those?"

Hermione was horrified at his question. She needed Ginny here to help her know how to navigate these unknown waters. Scorp sat there staring at her, his eyes so innocent, but still full of wonderment.

"Scorpius, it's not nice to poke people like that." Hermione could feel the flush on her cheeks. For the witch who knew how to deal with almost anything, this was something that she'd never had to deal with before.

Hermione felt so stupid answering him that way, but with everything that had happened this night, she was amazed she could even come up with that. It had to have been one of the MacAteers coming to exact revenge for the recent death of their family member. The awful feeling of not being safe anywhere crept into her stomach and coiled there like a lead brick. She felt like she wanted to vomit. This was not the way she wanted to live her life always wondering when the MacAteers would be showing up next.

Draco came back in the room looking just as stressed as he had before he'd left. "Potter's in the front room. Get dressed and then we can talk."

He bent down and lifted Scorpius in his arms, "Come on mate. We're going to do something different, but I promise you it won't hurt."

"Whatcha going to do Papa?" Scorpius laid his head on Draco's shoulder. His hand reached out to play with the back of his father's hair.

Hermione's heart broke for this little boy. It wasn't fair that he'd been through so much in his short, little life. Would he ever get the chance for a normal life? She knew the answer before she'd even thought about the question; until the MacAteers were all in prison, none of their lives would be able to return to normalcy.

* * *

Draco watched Hermione walk into the room, trying to brush down her out of control Yes-I-Was-Having-Sex-Hair. If the situation hadn't been so serious he might have cracked a smile. She glanced around the room nervously as she came in and sat down on the sofa by him.

"Hey Hermione," Harry said to her.

"Hi Harry," she replied back with a quiet voice.

"So Malfoy, are you ready to ah…check Scorpius?" Harry cringed even when he was even referring to someone using Legilimency. Draco looked puzzled by his reaction.

"Yes, let's start. Will you hold him for me?" He looked over at Hermione with concern.

"Come here little man," Hermione opened her arms wide and tried to smile warmly. "Your daddy has a special way that he's going to be able to look in your mind and see what the bad man looked like that was in your room."

"How's he going to do that?" Scorpius asked looking up with big eyes at his father and then back at Hermione. "Do I have a hole in my head?"

Harry snorted nearby, "I do know someone who does." Hermione tried not to laugh at Harry's words while Draco looked at the two friends who seemed to be sharing a secret.

Hermione whispered to him, "Um, George Weasley has a hole in his head. Snape cursed him and he lost his ear during the war."

Draco had never heard the story behind George Weasley's one ear appearance, but he had noticed.

"I'll tell you about it later." Hermione smiled at him.

"Scorp you don't have a hole in your head, but I have a special way of looking at your memories so I can see what you've seen."

Scorpius's mouth opened and he gasped, "That is really weird Papa."

Harry tried not to laugh while he ran his fingers through his hair not wanting to distract Draco and Scorpius.

"You have to hold really still and just look in my eyes." Draco told him.

"Why?" Scorpius asked.

"So it doesn't hurt when I look through your mind." Draco hoped that Scorp would understand even a little of this, because he wasn't thrilled he had to do this to his son at all.

"I don't want to hurt." Scorpius said as he bounced on Hermione's lap.

"Do you remember how we used to play the staring game? Well that's what we're going to do again."

"You play the staring game with your almost three year old?" Harry asked skeptically.

"Just because your kids can't hold still longer than a few seconds doesn't mean my son has the same problem. Malfoy children are always taught at a young age how to control themselves in any situation." Draco couldn't help brag to Harry.

"Heaven forbid my little half-blood children be compared to your precious pureblood son." Harry spat out.

"For Merlin's sake! You two need to focus on what's important right now and leave your little petty childhood dispute for another day." Hermione glared at both grown men like they were three year olds.

"You're right," said Draco.

"Sorry Hermione," Harry said with downcast eyes.

Draco reached out to turn Scorpius's chin toward his face. "Remember Scorp, relax and just keep looking at me." He picked up his wand and softly whispered, "Legilimens".

Amazingly Scorpius held so still that anyone watching would have thought the poor child was frozen in place. Draco knew how his son thought and how he always was very interested in any kind of magic. He had been the same way when he was a small child.

There were many happy memories in his mind, but then the darker images showed up in his mind. Being so young, Scorpius had no way on knowing how to occlude his mind. Draco tried to ignore the aching in his heart as the reality of everything his young son had already been through in his life. Shaking his head to clear his own thoughts he continued to search Scorpius's mind…

_Scorpius hadn't wanted to go to sleep. He had pretended to fall asleep so they would go away. He was still mad at his Papa that he wouldn't let him stay up and read stories. Didn't he know that it was his favorite thing to do with him and Herminee? Sometimes his Papa was really mean. He crossed his arms as he frowned at how it wasn't fair he was sitting here in bed while Papa and Herminee were doing something fun._

_Scorpius lay silently in the dark staring around. He didn't like the dark and Papa had forgotten to turn his dragon night orb on. The door opened and Scorpius became excited thinking that Papa had come to get him and bring him to their room. His heart beat fast until he looked up and saw it was one of the Malfoy elves wearing a clean sheet with the large, green "M" embroidered onto the front. _

"_Why are you here?" Scorpius asked as he squinted in the dark. "I thought you were Papa." _

"_Sorry Master Scorpius. Your Father wants me here to watch over you." The house elf jumped up into the rocking chair and stared across the room at the boy._

_Scorpius gave a big sigh. He didn't mind the house elves, but he didn't want to be with one now. They didn't like to play with him either when he was bored. That's why he liked going to Potter's house. The boys there were fun and liked to do the same things he did. Now his stomach started to rumble. He was hungry. But if he tried to get out of bed right now he would be in trouble. Maybe he could tell the elf to go get him some food. Papa said that the house elves were there to serve the Malfoy family whenever they needed something. Well, he needed food and a glass of milk right now._

"_Mipsy, I'm hungry and need food. Right now." Scorpius ordered the elf with __imitation of a grown up voice._

"_Mipsy is sorry Master Scorpius, but Master Draco ordered me not to leave your room unless there was an emergency."_

_Scorpius's anger inside was growing wild again. He glared at the house elf. They weren't supposed to say no to a Malfoy. He would make him obey him._

"_I want food now!" Scorpius jumped out of bed, and he stood by the rocking chair with his hands on his hips like he'd seen the Potter lady do when she was mad at her sons or Potter._

"_Mipsy obeys orders from Master Draco first before Master Scorpius, " the tiny house elf's ears twitched nervously as he sat there with his hands intertwined._

_Before Scorpius could say another word he heard a loud pop and a man grabbed him from behind and put something cold at his neck._

"_Lookee here, I've found an old friend," the deep, cold voice said. _

_Scorpius could see the frightened look on the face of Mipsy._

"_I should slice your neck right now and leave a mess of you like the Granger woman left of my cousin," the man growled out._

_Scorpius twisted his neck a little to look up at the man and gasped. It was one of the bad guys that had killed his mum and taken him away from his Papa. He wanted to hurt him again like he and the other bad man had before. His heart beat so fast and he wanted his Papa. _

_Mipsy jumped out of the chair, "You will not hurt Master Scorpius," his hand came out shooting a spell towards the man which blew him backwards, the knife falling out of his hand. Scorpius gave a loud scream and Mipsy scooped him up in his arms and apparated away... _

Draco fell back on the floor as he withdrew from his son's mind. Scorpius trembled in front of him as he'd just relived the whole encounter again

"It was him Hermione, Connall MacAteer. He had a knife at Scorp's throat. He came for revenge for his cousin that was killed at the ministry."

"The biggest question is how he got into Hermione's town-home?" Harry said behind him. "You had enough wards up to stop even our old nemesis Voldemort." They all cringed a bit thinking about the long dead wizard.

"The even bigger question is how are we going to stop this from happening again?" Hermione hugged Scorpius to her even tighter as she stroked the boy's silky curls. No one would be getting any sleep tonight.

* * *

_**So Connall MacAteer is back! What are they going to do? Does anyone have ideas about how he was able to apparate into Scorpius's bedroom with all of the many wards in place? I know, but it will be interesting if any of you figure out my reason/s for how it happened. Thanks again for continuing to read and support this story. All reviews are always happily received. Until next time!**_


	28. Chapter 28

**Blinded Chapter 28**

After Harry left Hermione's house, Draco, Hermione, and Scorpius sat together cuddled up on the sofa. Hermione lay in Draco's arms, while Scorp snuggled up closely in Hermione's. They were all so tired from the lack of sleep and the trauma of Connall MacAteer showing up in their lives again. They were so exhausted they hadn't even gotten up to eat anything either. Then they needed to pack up in order to move to Malfoy Manor for good. In the meantime, they needed to decide who was going to be their Secret Keeper for when they put up the Fidelius Charm.

While Harry was still there, they'd discussed this very thing of who would be a Secret Keeper. Right off they dismissed Harry because it would be so obvious since he was such a good friend. If Harry wouldn't work, that would also include Ginny being that she was his wife. They went through many of their friends they'd gone to Hogwarts with and none of them seemed to be the right choice. Then they'd gone through their colleagues at work, but there again it seemed too obvious and many of them were old friends from school.

The idea came to Hermione and she jerked up almost knocking Scorpius from her arms. "That's it!" she said in a loud voice.

Draco sat up staring at her like she was totally crazy. "What's it?"

"The Secret Keeper. I know whom we can ask. It won't necessarily be an obvious choice, but it's one who would do anything for me. Especially because it's to keep us safe from the MacAteers."

Draco looked at her waiting for an answer, "Who? We've gone through almost everyone we know."

"Chason. I don't think anyone would think it was him because he would be too obvious having worked on the case against the MacAteers for so many years."

Hermione stood up and set Scorp in Draco's arms while she ran to the fireplace to make a floo call. "I don't know why I didn't think of this before. Probably because I was so tired."

* * *

After the floo call it didn't take long for Chason to floo over who now was listening to Hermione and Draco recall everything that had happened the night before.

"How did he break through your wards Hermione?" Chason sat looking puzzled. "You always have some of the strongest wards I've ever seen put in place."

"We were wondering the same thing," Draco said as he came in from the kitchen.

Scorpius had woken up hungry and Mipsy was now fixing brunch for all of them. The little boy was eating an orange while Mipsy made a full English breakfast, which looked like enough food for 20 people. Hermione had decided to let it go and welcomed Mipsy into her home and life. She knew she was in no shape to argue about house elves anymore, and with everything that was happening it wasn't worth causing tension in their relationship. Anyhow, her soon to be new home, the manor, was huge and there was no way she could take care of it on her own.

"Believe me when I say I've been running through every scenario in my mind. He could have put some tracking charm on Scorpius while he had been held prisoner." Hermione said softly.

She glanced nervously at Scorpius not wanting him to hear everything that they were discussing. He'd been through so much trauma already and he didn't need to be constantly reminded of his kidnapping. Scorp sat at he table now eating bacon and fried eggs like they'd disappear if he stopped. Heaven help them keeping up with his appetite when he became a teenager. He seemed to not be listening to them, and she cursed at herself for not putting up a silencing charm sooner. The lack of sleep was making her careless.

"I remember my father speaking of a blood tracking charm they would use. Just a little blood taken from an enemy and they could apparate to where they were. Even with powerful wards set in place." Draco rubbed his hands together and then clutched them tightly together.

Hermione felt ill knowing who the "They" were Draco had been alluding to. The Death Eaters of course would have used any dark spell or charm to get to their enemies. Knowing the MacAteers as well as she did, they'd do the same.

"Do you know if there is any way to trace the victim to see if the charm is in place?" Chason questioned with a worried look on his face.

Draco shook his head, "I'm not sure. But since we're heading back to the manor, I'll look through Father's old journals and see if I can find anything."

"What do we do in the meantime? If Connall has tried this once, he'll try it again." Hermione looked over to the little boy. "Who knows what he'll do next time. We may not be so lucky."

She didn't need to say anything more. They knew they'd been lucky that Scorpius hadn't been killed on the spot, but none of them wanted to say the words out loud.

* * *

Hermione knew that she needed someone exceptional to be the one to cast the Fidelius Charm. She had contacted Assistant Hogwarts Headmaster Filius Flitwick to perform the charm for them. He had come quickly once they'd all flooed to Malfoy Manor.

"Thank you so much Professor Flitwick for being willing to help us with the charm." Hermione smiled at her old professor.

"I'd do anything for you Hermione," he nodded his head back at her.

Draco kept quiet knowing that he'd not been one of Professor Flitwick's favorite students back in his old Hogwarts days. He still felt a distant chill coming from the small man, but he tried to brush it aside.

Turning to Chason, Flitwick turned his teaching voice on, "You do know that this is an immensely complex spell involving the magical concealment of a secret inside a single, living soul, which would be you." Flitwick motioned to Chason. "The information is hidden inside the chosen person, or Secret Keeper, and is henceforth impossible to find — unless, of course, the Secret Keeper chooses to divulge it. As long as the Secret Keeper refuses to speak, no one will know, unless you tell another, say Harry Potter."

Draco tried not to roll his eyes at the mention of the sainted Potter. Of course everyone assumed that Potter would have to have access to his beloved, and intelligent friend. He couldn't wait to get married to Hermione so maybe that bond wouldn't be so strong any more.

" Malfoy Manor will be protected by this spell and this dwelling will then be invisible, intangible, unplottable and soundproof. This is an extremely old spell, one of the most ancient of all." Professor Flitwick looked around to make sure all of the adults there had heard and understood his words.

"Are we ready then?" Flitwick motioned for Chason to come and sit in a chair next to him. Without any hesitancy, Chason came and sat down with a determined look on his face.

Draco sat next to Hermione on the nearby sofa. He reached out and clutched her hand in his. As Flitwick said the words to the spell a sense of calmness came over both of them. They hoped that even a possible blood tracking charm wouldn't be more powerful than the Fidelius Charm.

Once Flitwick had finished Draco stood, "So is the Fidelius Charm more powerful than say a blood tracking charm?"

Flitwick's eyebrows scrunched together as he stared at Draco, "Is that how you think that criminal got into Hermione's house?"

"Professor, we were only guessing, as it could be a possibility." Hermione could tell from the look on his face that he knew the dark magic that went into that kind of charm.

"From my knowledge, The Fidelius Charm would be more powerful than any other charm. You are now safe here at Malfoy Manor."

Both Draco and Hermione seemed to sigh at the same time. "Thank you Professor for coming and for your help in protecting my home." Draco stood and walked over to shake his old professor's hand.

Flitwick reached out and shook Draco's hand, "Keep her safe now, and your son. I know this will help. I must be off."

Turning to Chason, Flitwick extended his hand, "It was a pleasure to make your acquaintance."

"The pleasure was all mine. I've heard many great things about you from Hermione. You taught her well." Chason said.

Hermione grinned at his words, while Draco had to agree silently with him. Flitwick had been a good teacher, and it was too bad that he'd not learned as much from him as he could have. Being the pureblooded snot at the time, his father hadn't been happy about the professor and basically told Draco the man didn't deserve his respect or attention. Of course he'd been a fool to cling so willingly to all of the words that spouted from his father's lips. So many of those words had brought great misery to his life.

"Thank you Chason. You are a good friend." Hermione said to the man after Flitwick had returned to Hogwarts.

"I will do anything to help this nightmare end for you, my friend." Chason said.

It's funny, but Chason didn't provoke any jealous feelings within Draco. He'd spent plenty of time with him in Paris when they'd still been looking for the kidnapped children, and he knew Chason had no romantic feelings for Hermione. In fact, he'd also become a good friend to him after the many hours they'd labored together in finding his son.

"You are welcome in our home any time, especially since you will be one of the few people who will know where our home is." Draco said with a laugh.

"I think I feel privileged Draco, like an honorary Malfoy," Chason said bringing his hands up to cover his heart.

"Well, I wouldn't go that far Chase," Draco said smugly as he slugged his friend in the arm.

"Oh that hurt," Chason sniffed acting hurt while Draco laughed out loud.

"Enough with the brotherly love. It's time for dinner you two." Hermione grabbed Draco and Chason's hands and pulled them towards the dining room.

* * *

Draco and Hermione had only been asleep for a few hours when they heard some shouting coming from downstairs.

"What the fuck?" Draco shouted out. Hermione sat up looking around their bedroom in confusion, her brain still in a sleepy fog.

"Is that someone yelling downstairs?" Hermione asked. "It sounds like Harry."

Draco quickly pulled on his sleep pants and grabbed his wand. "It has to be either Potter, Chason or Flitwick. Since Chason went back to France, and Flitwick should be at Hogwarts, that leaves Potter," he groaned out as he stifled a yawn.

Draco and Hermione ran down the stairs and into the drawing room, where Harry stood running his hands through his thick, black hair.

"What's going on Potter? It's 3:00 a.m. and we were trying to sleep." Draco couldn't help but feel a little irritated.

"I know Malfoy and I'm sorry, but I thought you should know what just happened," Harry seemed uptight and very nervous.

"What do mean?" Hermione took a deep breath as she stared at Harry. "What happened?" She wasn't sure she wanted to hear the news that Harry came to tell. With it being 3:00 a.m. the news was sure to not be good.

"He showed up again." Harry looked at both of them. Without saying his name Hermione knew who "He" was.

"MacAteer? Where?" Draco asked in an angry tone.

"He was a busy boy tonight. He visited the homes of every child that was kidnapped along with Scorpius." Harry said.

Hermione gasped, picturing each child in her mind. She had looked at those faces, month after month, and knew them well.

"What did the bastard do this time?" Draco asked. Hermione was glad he spoke up first, because the knot in her throat was stopping her from speaking.

"He broke through the wards in all of their homes and apparated directly into each of the children's bedrooms, just like he did last night at your place." Harry motioned to Hermione.

"Are they all right? Please tell me he didn't hurt any of them?" Hermione asked with a raised voice. Her fingernails dug into Draco's arm as she clung tightly to him. She didn't think she could bear to hear of any of them being hurt again.

"He had a knife with him just like last night. This time he…he actually drew blood, but didn't cut too deep." Harry explained.

Draco cursed again, "Why stop there? Did he do anything else?"

"I believe he is warning us. He'll be back." Harry paced around the room as he spoke. This nervous habit was very familiar to Hermione. She had seen it happen many times throughout the years.

"He's trying to intimidate us." Hermione finally spoke, not wanting to make eye contact with either of the men. She didn't want to show the true fear that was racing through her. She'd always been so brave, but this case was hitting way too close to home and her heart.

"I think he's doing a bloody good job, don't you think?" Draco answered with more sarcasm than anger.

"What are you going to do to protect the other families? You can't leave them defenceless." Hermione could feel the panic rising.

"I've got that covered. I already told them about what you did here at the manor. They are picking their Secret Keepers and I've already owled Professor Flitwick to come and perform the charm at all of their homes."

"Good. That's good," was all Hermione could mumble at the moment.

Draco stood and walked over to Harry, "You know what needs to be done. We need to go on the offensive and go after them, otherwise it could be years of harassment from the MacAteers."

"Harry," Hermione came to join them by the fireplace, "I'll be organizing a select group of Hit Wizards and Aurors tomorrow. I agree with Draco, it's time we stop being victims and we go after them."

She was damn tired of this clan of terrorists. She had spent several years of her life dealing with them and this needed to stop.

Hermione leaned against Draco and she yawned. His arms went around her holding her up.

"I need to get this one back to bed or she won't be able to think tomorrow, and obviously we need her great powerful brain." Draco kissed the top of her head. Hermione noticed that Harry didn't even flinch this time at seeing affection between her and Draco like he usually did.

"Prat," Hermione swatted his backside.

"Well, that's my sign to leave." Harry shook his head, though this time he did it with a smile. "I'll see you two in a few hours."

Harry started to leave but turned around suddenly, "Do you think Professor Flitwick would mind stopping at my house to perform the Fidelius Charm at Grimauld Place? It hasn't been on my house since the end of the war, but…"

"I know he wouldn't mind Harry. Your family is just as vulnerable as the rest of ours. Just ask him tomorrow." Hermione answered.

"OK, thanks. Night." Harry flooed away and Hermione looked up at Draco.

"I meant what I said earlier. I'm done being a victim to the MacAteers. We will never be able to get married and settle down until they are all caught and put away." Hermione's words sounded like a promise she was making.

"Or they are all killed, which I would prefer seeing they seem to avoid prison easily," Draco steered her towards the stairs. "I don't want you to worry though. I won't let anything happen to you or Scorpius."

Hermione wanted to believe in his words. She had to believe in his words or she'd go crazy. But at this point, that was only what they were: words spoken. It would be another thing to see if they could really pull off what seemed the impossible right now; stopping the MacAteer family from hurting anyone else.

* * *

_**The words spoken by Professor Flitwick about the Fidelius Charm were spoken by him, and taken from the book "**__**Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban". Some of it was changed slightly to fit this particular story.**_

_**Things will began to heat up now with the notorious MacAteer family before anything wedding related will be done. Sorry to those who have said how excited they are to see Hermione and Draco's wedding. I promise that there will be a wedding with full details before I end this story. I won't skip over that grand event. Thanks for the reviews and the continued support with my story. It always amazes me how stories unfold in front of me while I'm typing. Let me know what you thought of this chapter and thanks again for still reading Blinded! **_


	29. Chapter 29

**Blinded Chapter 29**

Ugh, was it already morning? Hermione peeked out from under the covers to see Draco standing there with a cup of coffee. The light from the window strained her tired eyes.

"Sorry to wake you up love, but we need to head to the ministry. I've already gotten Scorpius up, dressed, fed and off to the Potters."

"Wow. You are an amazing father. I don't know how you do it? Our future children we have together will be so lucky to have you. They may not feel that way about their mum, but…"

Draco interrupted Hermione. "What are you squeaking about? You have already proven time and time again what a loving and kind mum you are to Scorpius. If truth be known, you've outshined Astoria in that department in few months time. I know she loved our son, but she didn't always know how to show it."

Hermione smiled up at Draco, "Thank you for saying that. Children have actually always scared me a bit. Being an only child and never having the chance to babysit, well, this has all been so new being around Scorpius. But Draco, he's so easy to love. If only you'd been that way when you were young I may have fallen in love with you earlier." She stood up and patted his cheek as she walked by on the way to the loo.

Draco's arm shot out to pull her back to him, her body curling up against his, "I resemble that remark and I'm glad it's not still true. I was an idiot influenced by bigotry and you've changed me into the man I've always wanted to be."

Hermione reached out to set her coffee cup down on the nearby armoire. "That is possibly the sweetest thing you've ever said to me Draco Lucius Malfoy." Her arms went up to slide around his neck pulling his head down to hers. Her kiss was full of desire as she pressed her body fully against him.

"Does this mean you'll have wild, passionate sex with me in the shower right now?"

"Only if you can beat me into the bathroom and get the water heated up." Hermione teased him.

Draco pushed her back with his longer arms and ran away from her into the bathroom. "You cheater!" She yelled out at him while trying not to laugh. She heard the water from the shower starting and was glad that Draco was a fast runner.

* * *

As they headed into the Auror's department, Draco and Hermione came in laughing and chatting away. Harry looked up from the file he'd been reading.

"Do I even want to know why you two are acting like sixteen year olds? And what's with the wet hair?" Harry motioned towards their heads.

"Oops." Hermione's wand came out and cast a drying charm on both her and Draco's hair. "We were in a little hurry this morning."

Harry snickered, "It looked to me like you weren't in a hurry at all. You two need to be careful, that's why Ginny's up the duff again."

"Harry Potter! If Ginny heard you right now you'd be swatting bats away from your nose. Shame on you." Hermione chided him with a smile on her face.

"Contraception Charm Potter. It works like a charm." Draco and Hermione burst into laughter.

"Have you two been drinking this morning?" Harry asked with a grin.

"No, Potter. We're just madly in love and trying to forget about all of the nastiness we have to deal with today." Draco's honest answer quieted them all down.

"Yes, it'd be nice to have all of this sodding MacAteer crap out of the way." Harry sighed and picked up the folder he'd previously been reading.

"Have you spoken to Kingsley yet about our plans? I'm hoping he'll allow more money spent towards this case." Hermione plopped down in Harry's chair, while Draco leaned against the desk and peered over Harry's shoulder reading the file.

"What is that picture? The one under the first page?" Draco tried to turn the page back and Harry smacked his hand.

"That's evidence, don't touch."

"Let me see that Harry." Hermione grabbed the file from his hands and examined the picture that was being labeled as evidence.

"Look Draco, it's a knife just like the one that Connall left in Scorpius's room. Harry, please hand me the rest of the files."

Harry picked up the small pile, one for each of the children and handed them to her. Hermione flipped through each one and studied each picture.

Looking up at both men she asked, "What does this mean? Every picture is the same. Every knife is identical that was found in each child's bedroom."

"Ron and I think that it may be some kind of a portkey that was used to get Connall into each child's bedroom. The knives have all been sent down to the lab to be thoroughly analyzed." Harry pulled his glasses off and rubbed at his eyes. Between this case, dealing with a very pregnant wife, and two rambunctious sons, his nerves were shot.

"How long did they say it would take to look over them? This could be crucial to the case. The longer we have to wait, the more chaos the MacAteers will cause." Draco's hidden temper at most times was now coming to the surface.

Hermione reached out and laid her hand on his arm. "We all know that bothering them in the lab will only delay them. I hate to say it, but we need to be patient for now and look at other evidence."

"What if there is no other evidence? The only thing we found at your townhome was the knife. Am I right Potter?"

"Huh?" Harry looked up as his mind was trying to process everything.

"The evidence Harry. Are the knives the only evidence we have to work with?" Hermione looked up at him with concern.

"Yes, just the knives. The rotten bugger popped in quickly, did his dirty business and was out of there. As I said before he…"

"Harry! Harry!" Ron came running down the hallway towards them. "She…needs…you…now." Obviously out of breath he bent over while Harry looked alarmed.

"Ron, she as in…?"

"Ginny you arse. She's in labor. You need to head to St. Mungos now" the news seemed to startle Harry for a moment.

"I'm leaving." Harry ran to the lift without saying goodbye.

"Whose with the boys Ron?" Hermione asked.

"Mum's there, but you two might want to head there so she can go be with Ginny. She wants to see her granddaughter born."

"Come on Draco. I'm not doing this by myself. Anyhow, it may be several hours before the evidence is done being analyzed."

"Ron, you need to stay here and hold things together while Harry is out." Hermione dropped all of the files in his arms. Draco just smirked at the man as Hermione grabbed his hand and dragged him towards the lift.

* * *

Several hours later, after five games of hide and seek, keep your feet on the ground Quidditch, six stories, and one batch of chocolate biscuits made by all, they finally heard news.

Ron came through the floo laughing as he saw the mess that three rambunctious boys could make. "What tornado hit the house?"

Hermione looked up with disheveled hair and chocolate on her cheek. "We've been having fun, Ronald. This is called playing. We used to do it a lot when we were in school."

Draco walked in, with a boy stuck on each leg and neither Scorp nor Albus would let go. Their giggling showed they were having fun. "I've grown boys on my legs and they won't come off. What am I to do?" The boys kept laughing as they still clung to him.

Ron smiled when he saw how Draco's hair was mussed up and he also had chocolate stains all over his person. "We may have to get you to St. Mungos and have them sawed off."

The two little boys started screaming and jumped off and ran and hid behind Hermione. "Ron, don't tease them."

"I don't want to be sawed off at a hospital," Scorpius stood there with tears rolling down his face.

Draco reached down and gathered his son into his arms. "Ron was only joking right?" He looked over at the red head.

"Yeah, mate, I was just teasing you," and he picked up Albus and hugged him.

"Mum would be mad at you Uncle Ron if you did that," Albus said very seriously to him.

"You know, I think you're right. But now I came to tell you something exciting." Ron said enthusiastically.

"What? What?" Albus was yelling so loud that James came running into the room.

"Hi Uncle Ron? What are you doing here?" James went up and gave him a hug.

"I came here to tell all of you that your mum just had the baby. You have a new sister named Lily. She has lots of red hair and blue eyes."

The boys started jumping up and down and running around the room, "Yay! We have a sister!"

Draco and Hermione smiled at each other, especially when they saw Scorpius running, jumping and screaming right along with them.

"Can you imagine how he'll react once we have one of our own?" Draco asked Hermione.

She turned and looked at him giving a great big grin. "It's really going to happen, right?"

Draco's hands came up to cup her face, "Yes, love, this will really happen." Naturally they were drawn together as their lips met, forgetting anyone especially Ron, was in the room with them.

"Ahem," the sound broke them apart. "I think we need to get to the hospital with the boys." Ron stood with a flushed face trying not to look at either of them.

"Gentlemen! Head on down we're going to meet Miss Lily," Draco yelled up the stairs.

Within seconds all three boys came stomping down and soon they we're all off to St. Mungos.

* * *

"Where is she?" James asked as soon as they walked in the front door.

"I don't see her Uncle Ron? Did she leave?" Albus tugged at Ron's arm with worry.

"Boys we need to go to another floor to see Lily." Ron took each boy by the hand and started walking to the lift.

Hermione and Draco both gave each other a surprised look at how good Ron was with his nephews. "I think he's finally growing up," Hermione mouthed to Draco who nodded his head.

As they stepped off of the lift and on to the maternity ward, the boys went running when they saw their Grandma and Grandpa Weasley sitting there by Uncle George, Aunt Angelina, Uncle Bill and Aunt Fleur.

"Grandma! Grandpa!" the boys jumped into the laps of their grandparents.

"We came to see Lily the baby," Albus beamed up at them.

"Where is she? Does she really have red hair like all of you and mum? Can we kiss her?" James rattled all of his questions off in one breath.

George laughed, "In the other room. Yes she does and no probably not right now." He winked at the boys.

"Huh?" Albus wrinkled his nose with squinty eyes. The funny face made everyone laugh.

"So will Harry bring the baby out?" Hermione asked.

"He was out earlier with her. But I think they want the boys to go on in the room now that Ginny is ready for visitors." Molly said. "You and Draco are also expected right now, so all of you go along." Her arms waved towards the hospital room labeled 'Potter'.

* * *

Draco knocked and then pushed the door open hearing a voice say to come in. As they entered the room they saw Ginny in the bed holding the small, red-haired baby, with Harry sitting next to her with his arm around his wife.

"Oh my word! She is beautiful!" Hermione squealed out before anyone else could react. Draco just smiled at his fiancé as she cooed over Lily. He had never loved her more than at that moment. In his mind he saw Hermione holding a brand new baby, but one created by them. Was he really getting chills from this whole scene in his mind? He was turning into a girl. Gods! He was not sharing his thoughts with anyone. But, even then he couldn't erase the smile off of his face.

"Look boys. This is your little sister, Lily," said Harry. Both boys softly climbed onto the bed and peered down onto the tiny face. Instinctively it was as if they knew they needed to be gentle with her.

"Uncle George said we can't kiss her face," Albus said.

"He's right son, but you could kiss her head," Ginny pointed to a spot on the top of her head.

"Why would I kiss her head? That's weird." Albus scrunched up his nose.

Scorpius had his arms around his father's neck. The toddler was mesmerized as he peered down at the Potter family. He whispered in Draco's ear, "Can we buy a baby like that? I think Herminee really likes her."

Draco had to stop the laugh that wanted to burst from his chest and breathed slowly, "Scorp, I think Herminee wants a baby, but you can't buy them at a shop." He waited for the next question that he knew was coming.

"Where can we get one then?" Scorpius whispered loud enough for Hermione to hear his question. She watched Draco, trying not to laugh, as she waited to see how he'd answer.

"How about we talk about this when we get home?" Draco answered.

Hermione shook her head while her hand went up to cover her eyes. Draco could see her shoulders shaking as she was trying to cover up her laughter.

"Care to share with the class Miss Granger? Ginny asked looking at the couple.

Draco answered, since Hermione was still trying to control what would otherwise be a full on laugh. "Scorp wanted us to buy a baby at the shop for Hermione, but I told him we can't get one there."

Harry's eyes twinkled with mirth, "So Draco, where _**did**_ you tell him he could get one?"

Scorpius jumped in to answer, "Papa said we'll talk about it when we get home." His answer made all of the adults in the room start laughing, which in turn startled the baby who started crying.

Albus put his hands over his ears, "Tell her to stop. She's too noisy."

"Buddy, you haven't heard anything yet." Harry gathered his son in his arms.

* * *

Hermione finally had her turn to hold the baby and Draco could see she was almost melting into the floor. Her sighs and loved filled eyes, made Harry and Ginny grin just as much as Draco was doing.

She could hardly believe how tiny Lily was. She hadn't been there when any of her friends had started having kids. Her small frame almost made her nervous, but she just held the baby close to her chest, which felt natural. She had told Draco a few weeks ago that she didn't want a baby for a while, but holding Lily right now was changing her mind. She glanced up at Draco and could see by the look in his eyes, that her man was reading her mind. The kind smile coming from Draco made her realize that he felt the same way. Scorpius looked like a giant next to Lily. Even the toddler seemed to be enchanted by the new baby.

Someone knocked on the door to break the peaceful silence in the room.

"Come in," Harry said quietly as Albus had fallen asleep in his arms, while James was curled up against his mum.

Dean Thomas poked his head in the room, "I'm so sorry to interrupt…blimey, look how beautiful!" His eyes were drawn instantly to the baby.

"What's up Dean?" Harry asked.

"The lab personnel sent me here to let Harry and Hermione know that the results from the knives are back."

Hermione, Draco, and Harry all looked from one to the other with uncertainty. Hermione gently handed the baby back to Ginny; running her hand one more time over the soft, pink cheek of the sweet baby.

"I'll head to the lab Harry, and then I'll send an owl to you with what they've found." Hermione smiled as she looked at the perfect picture family that Harry Potter now had as his own.

Draco, Hermione and Scorpius left the room. They walked quietly down the hallway, saying goodnight to the various Weasleys' that were still out in the waiting room. She saw Molly heading back into the room excited to see her new granddaughter again.

"Why don't you take Scorpius home Draco?" Hermione patted Scorp's back who was soundly sleeping on Draco's shoulder.

"It's fine. We're all going there together." Draco replied firmly.

Hermione started to argue back, when she stopped herself and then nodded yes. "Fine, we'll go together."

* * *

Draco found a spot in the corner of the lab to lay Scorpius down. There was a cot that workers used at times for a quick nap while working on a hard case. He was within watching distance, so both he and Hermione felt fine letting him sleep there.

"So Carson, let's hear the results," Hermione said with some resignation. Draco stood by her with one hand running up and down her back in comfort.

"Ms. Granger, we found something inside each of the knives that was very surprising. In each knife was hair from each individual child. So Scorpius's hair was inside the knife the Aurors' found at your home." The couple looked at each other in shock.

Carson continued, "We found the hair of each child in the knife that was left in each home. We believe that somehow this gave the criminal the ability to apparate in each home, even with the wards in place."

"Is there any way of telling what kind of spell may have been used along with the hair?" Draco asked.

"We have some of the Unspeakables from the Department of Mysteries that are working with us and they are now analyzing the hair specimens and knives." Carson stopped to gauge their response.

Draco gave a huge sigh and ran his hands down the sides of his face. "So we know a little, but not enough to help stop them from trying something like this again."

"The only good thing we have going for all of our families is the charm that was placed," Hermione spoke softly to Draco, so even Carson didn't hear her words.

"Please let me know when you hear anything from the Unspeakables. Thank you Carson." Hermione walked towards Scorp and picked him up in her arms and left the lab with Draco following close behind.

Draco caught up and put his arm around her shoulder as they walked down the hallway. "It will be OK."

"No it won't. It'll never be OK until every member of that evil family is caught and put away." Her face looked so different now from how it had been earlier and so filled with joy. It hurt to see her feeling so hopeless.

Draco didn't respond, because he knew any words he could say in response would just be that, words, and words weren't going to be the thing to solve this case or bring them peace of mind.

* * *

_**So we went from light and fluffy, to the dark part of this story: anything having to do with the MacAteers. I would say that we are about ¾ of the way done with this story. So the MacAteers need to be dealt with, then the wedding and then a fun epilogue that is mostly already written. **_

_**I haven't thanked my reviewers in awhile so: thanks to the ever faithful reviewer 'Green Eyed Lana Lee' who enjoys my plot twists, 'Calimocho' who'll have to wait to see if the charm keeps the MacAteers out, 'Honoria Granger' whose not sure if Chason can be trusted, 'Alinassong' who hates the MacAteers as much as all of the rest of us, 'writergrl' who thinks Hermione should just go after Connall, 'Dracolovesjenni' who is excited for the wedding, 'Guest' who liked when Scorpius interrupted Draco and Hermione in the bedroom…that was funny wasn't it?, 'QueenVictoriR' thanks for reviewing and I know work keeps people busy. Thanks also for mentioning how I'm portraying Scorpius realistically as a 3 year old, 'Emmerstew' who's also excited for the wedding and just wants them to be happy: I totally agree. They'll get there, I promise! 'Ilovemagic123' who thinks it was smart to use Chason as Secret keeper and was happy to see Flitwick, 'Coeur de l'amour' who was looking forward to an update, 'Lana in Wonderland' who also was looking forward to an update: I hope I made you happy with how soon I updated, and lastly 'Frogster' who gives amazing in-depth reviews who notices everything in the chapter and likes Scorp as much as I do! Hopefully I remembered everyone.**_

_**Review if you can and thanks again for following and reading Blinded! You are all wonderful!**_


	30. Chapter 30

**Blinded Chapter 30**

The next morning, a small boy bouncing on their bed woke Hermione and Draco. He put his finger up to his lips to tell her to lie still. Suddenly he popped up and grabbed Scorpius.

"Papa! You scared me!" the little boy yelled as he hugged his father.

Hermione grabbed her pillow and was swatting both Malfoys' wherever she could as they were wrestling on the bed. Scorpius jumped a few more times, and then sat down cocking his head as he looked seriously at both adults.

"Where do babies come from?" the toddler asked innocently in a quiet voice..

Draco looked over to Hermione, who just smiled at him saying, "Yes, my love, where do babies come from? You told him last night that you would explain how you could get one for me."

Draco's smirk at Hermione was familiar, but full of mischief too. "Well, you see son, they uh, come from…when parents um…they have to…" Draco wouldn't look his son in the eyes, instead concentrating on the fan spinning over their heads.

Hermione sighed, climbed out of their bed, and walked into the sitting room that was attached to their bedroom. She had a small library right there, so she didn't have to go all the way down to the enormous library on the main floor.

She walked in and climbed back onto the bed holding a large book. Scorpius was instantly interested in any book that Hermione had to show him, especially because they had become reading buddies.

"Scorp, let me show you some pictures," Hermione said while turning the pages in the large book. "Do you remember how Ginny's tummy got really big right before Lily was born?"

"Yes, she was eating too much and had a big belly. James said his mum was kind of fat and ate too many scones with jam."

"Well, that wasn't nice of James, but Ginny really wasn't eating too much…" Hermione said, but was interrupted by Draco.

"Are you sure? That woman could wolf down enough food to keep up with her brother Ron."

Hermione raised her eyebrow and gave him a look that said to quiet down. Draco motioned to zip his lips and raised his hands up in defeat, along with another wide smirk on his face.

"As I was saying…the reason Ginny's tummy got so big is that Lily was growing inside of her. Here, look at this picture." Scorp looked down at the picture of a woman standing sideways, with a full-term infant head down ready for birth.

"Why is the baby standing on its head? Wouldn't that hurt?" Scorpius pointed to the picture of the baby. "Look Papa, it doesn't have any clothes on either. It will get cold with no clothes."

"Oh! You're right Scorp, that baby is naked." Draco said trying not to laugh as Hermione tisked-tisked him. Scorp kept looking and looking at the picture. He could see his little mind was moving 100 miles an hour.

Draco whispered to Hermione, "Wait for it…wait for it…here it comes…"

Scorpius turned to Hermione and asked, "How did that baby get in there? It looks like it's stuck." His hands came up and flopped out to his sides. He looked at Hermione and then to Draco and neither one was saying a word.

Scorp turned the page that showed a woman giving birth and the baby's head coming out, "Oh yuck! What's going on there?" Draco too shocked to say anything grabbed the book from his son.

"I don't think he needs to see any more," and he handed the book back to Hermione who looked at Draco wanting to ask him questions.

"OK. When's breakfast? I'm really hungry." Scorpius climbed out of bed like nothing had even happened the last ten minutes. "Mipsy, where are you? I need food." The house elf popped in immediately.

"Oh my word. He's too young to be ordering Mipsy around." Hermione said indignantly.

"No he's not. I was much younger when I was telling all of our house elves what to do." Draco said matter of factly.

"I'm not surprised at that whatsoever," Hermione said in a huff and held the big book against her chest.

Draco started to get out of bed when Hermione grabbed his arm, "Why were you so shocked at the picture Scorpius was looking at?"

"He's too young. He shouldn't be looking at things like that." Draco clipped.

"It looked like to me that you've never seen a picture like that." Her eyes got really big and her mouth opened wide as she gasped. "You weren't there when Scorpius was born, were you?"

Draco's face screwed up into a grimace of disgust, "Of course not. Pure- blooded men are never there when their wives give birth." The ultimate snob came through in his words.

Hermione's determined chin came up as she poked Draco in the chest, "Well, if this pure-blooded man wants me to have his babies, then he is going to be by my side when I push them out!"

She didn't know whether to laugh or cry at seeing the look on his face. The absolute horror could be seen in his eyes. He didn't dare say anything. "Furthermore, we won't even be getting pregnant, no sex at all, if you refuse to do this for me."

The tears started falling from her eyes even though she was willing them not to come out. She flipped the book open again. "Look at that woman's face. Does that look like fun? No! She's in pain."

Next Hermione pointed to another picture, "See, her husband is right there holding her hand as she's pushing his brat out into the world."

Draco kept staring at the pictures like they were the most gruesome things he'd ever laid eyes on.

"Oh, look…" Hermione's eyes filled with tears again as she turned the page, "She's feeding the baby for the first time." Her finger pointed to a picture of a husband by his wife's side as the newborn latched on to start suckling.

Hermione looked at Draco who now was staring at her like she was crazy. "Are you sure you're not pregnant now? Astoria acted crazy like this, with her emotions all over the place when she was pregnant with Scorp."

Hermione held her breath for a minute as numbers ran through her head. When had her last period been? "Oh, sweet Merlin!"

She dropped the book on the bed and reached over to the nightstand and grabbed her wand. "What's the spell?" She was now shouting at Draco.

"I don't know. I've never had to use it before." He shrugged his shoulders at her.

"There's no way I could be pregnant, is there? We've been careful…right?" Hermione's eyes flickered with self-doubt. Her heart skittered just thinking of the possibility of a baby growing inside of her right now. This was not the way she'd planned for their lives to go. They'd get married; solidify their new family, and then a few years from now they would start trying to get pregnant.

Draco sat with his lips pressed together as he thought. His head came up as his long fingers reached out to smooth along her arm. "As far as I'm concerned, if you are pregnant," he drew in a long breath, "That will be one of the most amazing things that will ever happen to us."

Hermione sat frozen in place as if she hadn't heard what Draco had just said. But the joy soon bubbled up in her and the corner of her mouth quirked up with a smile. Leaping into his arms she whispered, "I love you so much."

"I love you too. There is nothing to worry about right now. Let's eat breakfast, and then we'll make our way back to St. Mungos so we'll know for sure." He couldn't help pressing his lips to hers softly.

"Breakfast!" they heard Scorpius yelling from downstairs.

"Orders from the boss," Draco said as he winked at Hermione.

* * *

"Mipsy, we won't be gone long. You are to stay in Master Scorpius's room and barricade the door to anyone but Hermione or me. He is to be protected at all times and you may use any power to protect him."

Draco didn't feel good about leaving his son at home when they weren't there. But, they also had concluded that they didn't want him at this appointment either. With Ginny still in the hospital, they didn't have anyone else to turn to without having their possible secret leak out.

"You will obey Mipsy while we're gone. Do you understand Scorp?" His eyes narrowed at his son to show that he was absolutely serious about his words.

Scorpius nodded, "Yes Papa. I promise I will stay in my room and be very, very good. Or I won't get ice cream later. Right Herminee?"

Hermione blushed and pinched the bridge of her nose, "Yes, Scorpius, that's what I said."

After hugs and kisses and more hugs and kisses they walked down to the main room to floo to the hospital.

"You promised him ice cream to obey?" Draco lifted an eyebrow as he waited for an answer.

"I'm still learning how to do this parenting thing. It seemed like a good idea at the time." Hermione said as she tucked some hair behind her ear.

All Draco could do was snicker as they stepped into the fireplace and left for her appointment.

* * *

As they headed to the maternity ward they both had their head downs. They were desperately hoping they wouldn't run into anyone they knew. Hermione bit at her lip with nervousness only to run into the person she'd hoped not to see today.

"Hermione, what are you doing here? Do you have something else to tell me about the case?" Harry stood next to Draco watching the both of them. He eyed them waiting for an answer.

"Well, you see we…" Hermione glanced up at the ceiling avoiding his gaze.

"Um, you two are acting really weird. What's going on? What are you not telling me?" Harry leaned against the nearby wall.

Draco and Hermione looked at each other and Draco finally nodded his head at her.

Grabbing Harry's arm she pulled him down the hall until they found an empty closet. As all three entered the closet and shut the door, Harry's brows snapped together. "You better have a good explanation for this."

"We do, or we will in about thirty minutes." Draco answered as he massaged the back of his neck.

Hermione whispered, "Harry, I or we think I'm…" she couldn't say the words out loud. She squeezed her eyes shut while tears started to run down her face. Draco pulled her into his chest and started rubbing her back.

"Does this have something to do with the MacAteers? You're not dying are you?" Harry buried his hands in his thick hair.

"No, Potter on both counts. We think Hermione may be pregnant." Draco finally just blurted out the secret.

Harry's eyes darted at both of them, and then his mouth twitched before a full on laugh came out. "Oh Gods! I'm so glad you're not dying. But, having a baby is not the end of the world. We've done it three times now and we're still alive."

"We're not even sure if she really is. We have an appointment with a healer in five minutes and then we'll know." Draco shrugged his shoulders.

Harry reached out to rub Hermione's arms, "Really Mione, it's not a big deal if you are pregnant. I'm sure Malfoy here will still let you work." Draco rolled his eyes at his response.

"I wanted us to be married first before we had a baby." Hermione said, her eyes boring into him.

"Then get married. It's an easy fix you two. Ginny and I will help you plan everything."

"I never thought we'd have Harry Potter as our wedding planner," Draco quipped.

Harry opened the door, "Go to your appointment and then come to Ginny's room. I won't say anything until you get there with the results. I gotta get going."

When he left the closet Draco lifted Hermione's chin up, "We are already engaged so it wouldn't be a huge deal to get married right away." He smiled at her, which gave her confidence.

"You're right. Let's go or we'll be late and you know I hate to be late." Hermione left the closet.

"I know love." Draco gave a lopsided grin and followed her down the hallway.

* * *

Hermione lay on the examining table with Draco standing by her side. She bit her lip and tightly held onto Draco's hand. They had been waiting ten minutes already for the healer to come and the tension was suffocating.

Draco was worried about the outcome whether it be a yes or no. If it was a yes, they'd be planning a quickie wedding and this would make the tension rise at their house. On the other hand, he was concerned that they both would be so disappointed that she wasn't pregnant even though they weren't trying. He wasn't sure which way he wanted this to turn out.

The door opened and the healer walked in. He heard Hermione take some quick breaths and he worried about her hyperventilating.

"Good Morning. I'm healer Montgomery what can I do for you today?" The tall woman with graying black hair smiled at the couple.

Hermione opened her mouth to speak and then looked over at Draco. It was odd for him to see this woman he'd fallen in love with acting so unsure of herself.

Draco started to speak, but then felt Hermione's hand come out to squeeze his arm. "Healer Montgomery, my name is Hermione Granger and this is my fiancé Draco Malfoy."

"I thought I recognized you both. It's a pleasure to meet you." Draco breathed easier when he realized the woman's words were sincere. He was still worried about how people reacted to the Malfoy name after the war.

"I think I may be pregnant. We want to know for sure." Hermione's face was absent of her normal smile.

"This will be an easy and non-invasive charm. We shall know in a minute. Please lift up your top to waist level. The skin changing color is what we look for with this charm. Certain colors tell us if conception has taken place."

They watched as the healer waved her wand over Hermione's abdomen as she silently cast the charm. Healer Montgomery grinned as she saw Hermione's skin color change to a light pink color.

"What does that mean?" Hermione quickly asked.

"You my dear are a few weeks pregnant. I would say about five or six weeks."

The couple looked at each other; Draco grinning like he'd just won a Quidditch match by catching the snitch, and Hermione relaxing with finally knowing the truth.

"At the beginning of pregnancy the color is a light pink. As the pregnancy continues the color changes from light pink, to dark pink and then turning a light red. At the end of the pregnancy when the charm is used, it is a deep, rich red showing that the baby is ready to be born." Healer Montgomery tilted her head as she watched Hermione's reaction to the news.

Draco couldn't stop smiling as he thought about having a new baby with Hermione.

"Let's get you scheduled for another appointment in four weeks. Then we will do another scan to check the changing color, and we'll also do another spell to listen to the heartbeat."

Hermione sat up tugging her shirt down, "Really?" she asked with wonder. "I know in the Muggle world we have a machine to listen to the heartbeat, but I didn't realize they'd have one in our world. I should have known better."

Draco reached out to pull her into his chest, "This has been a few trying weeks. It's OK if you don't know everything." He kissed the top of her head before she could say anything.

Hermione's hands shot out to tickle his sides, "You git," she laughed.

"Thank you so much Healer Montgomery." Draco said.

"It is my pleasure to help you. If you want, I can be listed as your primary healer throughout the pregnancy."

Hermione nodded her head, "Yes, that would be most agreeable. Thank you."

The healer headed to the door, "Until next time." She waved to them as she left the room.

"I'm trying to find the words to describe how I'm feeling right now." Hermione leaned into Draco again.

"Let's see, how about 'Great', 'Fantastic', 'Amazing', 'Brilliant' and 'Excellent'!" Happiness coursed through him as he held her close.

"Should we go and put Harry and Ginny out of their misery? Knowing them they are waiting anxiously for our news."

"I suppose, though knowing I'm making Potter anxious makes me happy." Draco couldn't help but beam down at her.

The half-hearted smack she gave him only made him laugh harder. "Come on Mr. Incorrigible, let's go spill the beans."

* * *

_**Surprise! Yes, to be totally honest, this chapter was a surprise to me too. I hadn't planned on this happening until the very end of the story, but it showed up earlier. Let me know what you think about this. Thanks again for all of the great reviews that inspired me to write 1200 words the day after the last chapter was published. **_


	31. Chapter 31

Here is another chapter that I hope you'll enjoy reading. I know it's been a few weeks, but read my A/N at the end of the chapter to explain what's been going on in my life! Thanks again for reading! It's means so much to me!

* * *

Blinded Chapter 31

Draco and Hermione's hands intertwined as they walked to Ginny's hospital room. Everything around them seemed to disappear as they soaked in the life changing news they'd heard. Even though this was unplanned, it was one of the best things that had happened to them in the past year.

As they neared Ginny's hospital door they both slowed to a stop. Their eyes met in a mixture of excitement and trepidation before Draco knocked on the door and pushed it open.

Harry looked up anxiously at them, while Ginny showed no signs of knowing why they were there, but smiled as her friends walked through the door.

"Back again for more baby cuddles? I really don't blame you. Isn't she the most beautiful thing you've ever seen?" Ginny held Lily up as she cooed at the baby who looked at her with wide-open eyes.

Draco and Hermione looked at each other with surprise. Harry hadn't blabbed to his wife about their possible pregnancy after all. Hermione knew it was very rare when Harry didn't share something with Ginny, especially if it was something as big as this. Ginny could coax any secret out of the man she loved because she innately knew when he was hiding something.

Neither Draco nor Hermione showed much emotion as they quietly pulled up chairs next to the bed. With little Lily snug in her mother's arms, Hermione couldn't help but stare at the baby being held so lovingly by her mum. She felt kind of faint thinking that in about 34 weeks that would be her lying there, holding their new baby. Hermione's lips trembled with emotion and Draco embraced her seeing that her feelings were sitting on the surface and ready to bubble over. Draco seemed to be reading her mind, as his large hand covered her smaller one and gently stroked her fingers.

"So…what brings you two here today?" Harry asked woodenly trying not to smile too big so Ginny wouldn't catch on that something was up, but he wasn't doing a very good job of acting nonchalant. Hermione wished that Harry hadn't sounded like he was reading from a script, because his suspicious wife now glared at him with narrowed eyes.

"Ok, I'm one of the smart Weasleys…" Ginny started to say, but was interrupted by her husband.

"Ginny Weasley…_Potter,_ remember?" Harry kissed her, which only made her annoyed.

"Now stop that Mr. Potter. Every time you do that I end up with one of these." She held up Lily to show her father. "As I was saying, I'm one of the smarter Weasleys' and I can tell you are bursting to tell us something."

Hermione almost bounced in her seat and smiled at her friends and nodded her head like she was three years old. "I'm going to have a…a baby," she declared breathlessly.

Harry grinned, while Ginny screamed with excitement, and which in turn made Lily start to cry. Draco sat stunned at the chaos done by a few words spoken by a Gryffindor. Granted it was the response of the Gryffindors that had contributed to the bedlam, but this one time it didn't seem to bother Draco at all.

"We are going to get married." Hermione couldn't stop smiling like a loon.

Suddenly her smile fell as she realized what she had just said. "Oh my Gods! I'm going to have a baby and we're getting married?" She looked at Draco liked she'd suddenly seen Snape in a pair of pink bloomers and nothing else.

The tears came quickly and Draco knew what to do, "It's OK, it will all be fine." He held her to him and let her cry on his chest as he rubbed calming circles on her back.

Harry couldn't help but laugh, "Welcome back to the world of having a hormonal, pregnant woman by your side." The dirty looks given to him by Ginny and Hermione stopped his laughter as he cleared his throat and looked down at the floor.

Hermione's lips pressed together as she stood up, "I think I want to go home now." She wiped her eyes, brushed a lock of hair out of her eyes, and left the room like she was in a trance.

"Bye Potters. We'll be in touch." Draco waved to the couple and grinned as Ginny smacked Harry for what he'd said, "I can't believe you said that. You made one of your best friends cry!"

"Ow! I was just joking…stop hitting me," Harry said as Draco slipped out of the room. Funny how that made him feel very, very happy.

Draco found Hermione in Scorpius's bedroom. She sat on his bed holding the boy in her arms. Her hand smoothed through his curly locks as a few tears still slid down her face. Mipsy stood guard silently by the bed watching over them.

"Master Draco, may I leave the room now?" The house elf had fully obeyed his orders and stayed with Scorpius until he'd returned.

"Yes, Mipsy, you may return to your other duties. Thank you." The elf nodded and popped out of the room.

Draco climbed onto the bed, his hands reaching out to hold the hand of his son and the woman he loved. Could life get any better than this? His own thoughts frightened him, because every time his life seemed to be going well, then something else happened to royally screw things up.

"Hi Papa. What's wrong with Herminee?" Scorpius asked, as he stayed snuggled up with his soon to be new mum. Draco was amazed that his son sensed that he needed to stay right there and let his Herminee hold him.

"Son, we have something that we wanted to ask you," Draco said. Hermione looked up at him with curiosity.

"Would you like to be a big brother?" Draco asked.

"No Papa, I don't think so." Scorp said.

Draco looked at Hermione with concern, who looked like she was ready to hurl at the moment. This wasn't going well so far and he needed to figure out what his son was feeling.

"Why not Scorp?" Draco held his breath as he waited for an answer.

"Cause I don't know what a big brother is." Scorpius answered his father truthfully as he shrugged his shoulders in innocence.

Hermione let loose a sob that quickly turned into boisterous laughter. "Oh brother. A brother is…" she doubled over from laughing so hard. Now Draco was concerned that she was losing it after a long, stressful day.

Scorpius turned to her with his face screwed up in concentration, "What's so funny?"

"Mate, you know James and Albus Potter, right?" Scorpius nodded his head. Draco started, "Well, they are in a family together, and their father and mum live with them. So, the boys are what we call brothers."

"Is baby Lily a brother too?"

"No, she's what people call a sister because she's a girl. But James and Albus are her brothers."

Scorp sat there on the bed looking at Draco, his finger started tapping at his lip. This only made the adults laugh since this was a habit that Hermione often did while thinking.

"So which one do we get?" Scorp finally asked. "Do we get to choose?"

"We don't know for sure mate, but we'll be happy with either a boy or girl. Just like I was thrilled that you were a boy when you were born." Draco said.

Scorpius sat silently for a few minutes thinking hard, "Will I have to share my toys with it?"

Draco tried to hold back his grin, not wanting his son to think he wasn't taking him serious. Hermione came to his rescue.

"That would be a nice thing to do. You may like having someone to play with Scorpius." Hermione said. Draco knew that he had always wanted a sibling and had talked to Hermione about siblings, and how she'd also wanted at least one too. The adults both knew this, but convincing a toddler about the benefits of having a sibling would be another thing.

Both Draco and Hermione sat waiting patiently for Scorpius's reply. Finally the boy folded his arms in front and sighed. "I will try to be a big brother, but don't get mad at me if I don't like it."

The surprisingly grown up answer stunned them for a minute, but then Draco said, "We appreciate that son." Hermione winked at him and leaned down to kiss Scorp on his cheek.

"Come here Scorp. Herminee needs a chance to rest some more so I need to carry her to bed." Draco reached out for his son and pulled him close, but he stopped short when he looked at his son's arm.

"Hermione, what happened to Scorpius's arm?" Draco pointed down at the boy's left arm.

"What do you mean? I don't think anything happened to him, and Mipsy said everything was fine when we were gone." She quickly took hold of the boy's arm and gasped. "I didn't see that earlier because he had his arm against my side." Her worried look mirrored his own.

Draco stared at the large circle on his son's left arm that resembled a bruise. As he looked even closer, he realized that it looked more like a tattoo than a bruise. The oddly shaped circle had black lines that seemed to be bleeding out of the circle.

"Hermione, look! It seems to be getting bigger even as we sit here." Draco's heart started pounding even harder and he thought his mind was playing tricks on him.

"Scorpius, did you do something to your arm while we were gone? Maybe Mipsy didn't see you." Her panicked voice sounded harsh, as she asked the boy who didn't seem too concerned with what was happening to his arm.

The boy shook his head, "No, Herminee, I just sat here and read my books and Mipsy brought me food. Oops, I shouldn't have eaten in my room. Sorry Papa." He shyly looked up at his father.

Draco seemed as if he hadn't even heard his son admit to breaking rules about eating in his room. He also didn't acknowledge the apology from his son either. All he could see was that his son was scarred with what looked like the Dark Mark that still resided on his left arm. It couldn't have anything to do with Death Eaters and Voldemort, could it? It had been many years since Harry Potter had defeated the snake-like bastard.

Draco jumped up and walked out of the room as he tried to organize his thoughts. He couldn't let Hermione or Scorpius see how worried he was. He needed to take his son to a healer to look at the mark.

"Draco, you're scaring me. What do you think this is? You don't think…?" she stopped her question mid-sentence and watched as Draco continued pacing the hallway.

He stopped and looked up at her, "You tell me what you think this is? You're an intelligent woman and I want to see if we're thinking the same thing."

Hermione stepped closer to him and grabbed his hands, "It appears to me to resemble the…Dark Mark." Her eyes tried not to look down at his arm where his sleeves on his dress shirt were rolled up halfway.

Draco stood looking into her eyes waiting for her to say more. He couldn't hide the agony that was swelling up inside of him.

"What if the MacAteers have something to do with this? That is the exact place on his arm where the knife nicked him the night Connell was in his room." Hermione stood frozen for a moment in thought.

Draco's eyes lit up, "Do we know if the other children were also cut by the knife found in their rooms?"

Hermione went running off into the other room, with Draco sprinting after her. He found her rummaging through her satchel throwing files left and right onto the sofa. The woman seemed a bit crazed as she flipped through papers that were flying through the air as she searched.

Finally she screamed out, "Aha! I found it!" Hermione held up a paper and shoved it into Draco's hands.

His eyes examined the words, then he looked up sternly, "This report from Harry's office says that every child had a small cut on their left forearm that was not life threatening so no healer was needed to treat it."

"It's true. That night I just put a plaster on it with a healing gel. He didn't even complain about it hurting either." Hermione tried hard to think back to that night and remember if there was some detail she was forgetting.

"We need to let Harry know about this." Draco hurried down the hallway to Scorpius's room. He came back holding the boy who now was asleep, curled up in his blanket. "Are you up to going back to St Mungos?"

"Yes, let's go now. Maybe Harry is still there with Ginny. I know Molly was staying with the boys until Ginny is released to go home."

Draco stepped to the fireplace and grabbed a handful of floo powder, "Be right behind me?"

"Yes, go now. I'll be right there," she said.

Draco hoped that they would find some answers tonight that would have nothing to do with the MacAteers. Deep inside, a part of him knew that this hope would probably only be wishful thinking.

* * *

Hermione flooed to St Mungos, and stepped out of the fireplace to find chaos abounding. In the waiting area were the parents and all of the previously kidnapped children. The parents were yelling for help as their children were held in their arms. The overwhelmed staff did their best to calm the crowd, but it didn't seem to be helping.

She went towards Draco as another frantic parent came hurrying in screaming about the bruise on their child's arm that hadn't been there a few hours before.

Harry came rushing towards them, "What's going on Hermione? I heard a healer talking about the panic happening down here." He looked around the room and then his brow furrowed in recognition.

"Shite. What are all of MacAteer's kidnapping victims and their parents doing here at St Mungos?"

"Come here Harry and look at Scorp's arm." She walked over to Draco and lifted up her soon to be son's arm showing Harry the mark.

Harry studied the mark and then he looked up at Draco's exposed arm. "Yes, Potter. We've already come to the same conclusion that you have. The mark on all of the children's arms is on the same spot where the megalomaniac marked us."

"How long has it been there?" Harry asked still examining the large bruise that looked as if it were still weeping ink.

"We just noticed when we came home from the hospital." Hermione answered him. "It wasn't there earlier when we left for my appointment."

"What about the others? Have you had a chance to talk to them?"

"No, we just got here, I would say around the same time as the other parents."

"Hermione, I can't get Scorp to wake up. I tried moving him around a bit to see if it hurt and he won't wake up," Draco said in a panic.

She quickly looked around the room and noticed the rest of the children were also looking as if they were also asleep. Not a one of them were stirring as their parents were speaking loudly and trying to get the healers to come and look at their child.

The earlier bright and vibrant child now lay pale and sickly in Draco's arms. This couldn't be happening. How could the day go from utter happiness to sheer terror in a matter of a few hours?

Her thoughts were interrupted as she saw Ron enter the room along with a team of Aurors. Each one branched off to individual parents as they questioned them about their child. Healers soon came and led each set of parents, and child off to a room to be examined, with the Auror tailing along.

Harry came with them, as a healer led them to a nearby room. Draco reluctantly laid Scorpius down on an examining table, but didn't leave his side, only holding his hand, his eyes willing him to wake up. Hermione didn't recognize some of the intense spells being used to determine what was on Scorp's arm. Another healer was trying her best to revive Scorpius but was having no results from her efforts. Hermione's eyes met Harry's as they watched Draco brushing his hand through his son's hair. The hopelessness welled up inside of her as she watched the man she loved suffering. Seeing Draco's son once again in a life-threatening situation struck at her heart.

"This is so unusual," the healer said. "It appears to be rapidly spreading as I've seen in a live virus."

Draco, paler than normal, grimaced as if Voldemort had just walked through the door. "What did you say? Live virus? There is something replicating itself in all of our children?"

"No, this isn't a live virus that you'd find out in the Muggle world. This is all magical; very dark magic." The Healer kept waving his wand around as he continued through a series of magical tests. The mark on Scorpius's arm appeared to be growing larger as time went by.

"How are you going to stop this? What is it doing to my son?" Draco's voice rose as he stared at the Healer.

Silence followed Draco's question as the Healer tried to hide his unease. Finally the man guided Draco to a chair next to where Scorpius silently lay.

"I'm going to be honest with you Mr. Malfoy. We're not really sure what we're dealing with in this situation."

Hermione moved towards Draco and stood by his side. "So, where do you go from here?"

The Healer gave a big sigh then spoke, "We go to…the Department of Mysteries."

* * *

_**I must apologize for the interruption in my writing and posting to this story and my other stories. End of July, two of my friends were killed in separate accidents. It was so devastating. Then there were changes in my job, and my family ended up having to move suddenly. It's so great to be back to writing after so much stress in my life. I didn't have a spare second this past month to read or write much, but I hope that this chapter makes up for my absence. Please review and let me know your thoughts about this chapter. Input from my readers is always important to me.**_


	32. Chapter 32

Blinded Chapter 32

Hermione slipped back into Scorpius's hospital room. Several hours had gone by since she'd last seen the boy or her fiancé. The words "bone-tired" were more than figurative at the moment; she felt it in every inch of her body.

Hermione and Harry had gone back to the ministry to sort out the information that they'd had gathered. With this information in hand, they'd been able to deliver it to the head of the Department of Mysteries. Now it was all a waiting game to see what that department could figure out. Meanwhile, every child involved was still in what appeared to be a coma and the mark now had spread all along the whole left arm. It was disconcerting even to the healers, let alone how the parents felt when they saw the mark spreading on their child's body. The black ink stood out on the pale, white skin of the sickly children. Why did the MacAteers have to use these children in their game of revenge against adults? It was well known that this clan had no hearts and showed no concern for anyone that wasn't related to them. It stung to the core to realize that these children were all dying because of her. They wanted her and were using the children to get back at her. She needed to leave these ugly thoughts in the shadows where she now was hovering. Draco needed her, as did Scorpius. The intense guilt that ate away daily at her core wouldn't help figure out this curse.

She left her hiding place and walked over to Draco and softly put her hand on his shoulder.

"What?" Draco jumped in the chair startled at her touch. Hermione stood back as his hands flew into the air.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to scare you. I just got back from the ministry," Hermione said with a slur while trying to stifle a yawn.

Draco reached out and pulled her down onto his lap. "My poor tired girl. You look like you're ready to drop."

"I am," she said with a sigh. He laid her head down against his chest. His hands instantly wove through her curls and hugged her to him. Still half asleep Draco pressed kisses to her brow.

"So…tired," Hermione whispered as her eyes closed. She just wanted to go to sleep and wake up with all of this a very bad dream.

The last thing she remembered before falling asleep was Draco saying soothing words to her that truly sounded like nonsense, but her brain was too worn out to tell. But the sound of his heartbeat finally lulled her to sleep.

* * *

Hermione woke up groggy in their own bed, but feeling better than the night before. Maybe this was just because of her pregnancy, but she knew emotionally this was all draining to her soul and well-being. How could she be a support to Draco and do her job at the ministry? No one knew what was causing this curse to affect the children so drastically, nor did they know how long it would take to figure it out. She looked over to the spot where Draco usually slept and could see an indent in his pillow. He'd been there at one point in the night, but who knew for how long. She'd been so out of it, she hadn't even felt him there; but knowing him, he'd probably held her closely as they slept.

"Draco? Draco?" she looked around their bedroom but didn't see him. Finding her fluffy blue robe on the bed, she put it on over her nightgown and slowly wandered out into the kitchen.

"There you are. I was worried when I woke up alone," she gave Draco a big hug and he promptly pulled her in for a good morning kiss. Her body pressed into his, hers still warm from her sleep. He sighed as he held her close, just content to hold her say nothing.

Draco's hands massaged her back making her want to fall back to sleep, "I didn't think that you'd ever wake up. It was surprising with all of that snoring you were doing last night."

His lip curled up in a grin that he always held just for her. If only her Gryffindor boys could see him at times like this. They would be able to see why she'd fallen hopelessly for him with no return to a life without Draco Malfoy.

Hermione hit him on the arm. "I don't snore! Maybe you were listening to yourself," she said indignantly, while giving him a saucy look.

Draco's hand went to his chest and his eyebrows rose, "Me? You should know that Malfoys' never snore." His serious tone turned into laughter as Hermione started to hit his arm and her laughter joined his.

"Malfoys' are snobs," Hermione said as she stuck her tongue out at him. She flipped her hair and turned her nose up in a pretend act of imitating what she remembered Draco's mother often doing.

"You, woman, are going to be one of them soon, so you better practice your snobbery." He tried to hold a straight face as they bantered back and forth.

Hermione's finger went up to tap at her lip as she pretended to think about what Draco had said, and then her smile fell. The last time they'd seen someone imitating her funny habit had been when Scorpius had mimicked her. Draco caught on quickly to her mood. She didn't have to say a word about her thoughts, as she could tell he was remembering the same moment they'd shared with Scorp less than 48 hours ago.

"Oh Draco, life will never be the same…I mean…"

Hermione couldn't speak any more as her voice choked with emotion. Draco didn't say anything either as they stood together with their arms wrapped around each other. The only sound heard were the quiet sobs coming from two people, parents, who loved a curly haired little boy who was infatuated with dragons, Quidditch, and eating butterscotch ice cream. He was just a little boy who had never hurt another soul in the world, and only wanted to be held tightly while being read to right before he fell asleep while cuddling his red, plush dragon.

Draco pulled away, but leaned in again so their foreheads were touching. After a quiet moment he stood back and looked at her, "We're not giving up on him Hermione. I refuse to give in to this evil. You're the one that taught me to keep plowing forward, even if it looks like all of the odds are against us." His eyes didn't leave hers as he spoke. "You don't realize how strong you are and how much strength I gain from you."

Hermione hurled herself back into his arms. They clung to each other as so many emotions ran between them. "Oh, Draco. It goes both ways. You should know that by now. That's why we're so good together, because together we're a force to be reckoned with." Her hand curled around his neck as she drew his lips towards her. The kiss was not demanding, but firm, as they melted into each other, their pain and hurt building into a fiery heat of lust laced with comfort. It felt good and safe in each other's arms, as they let their emotions and bodies take over from the realities of life.

Their hands started to strip the clothes off of each other, "Oh Gods Draco, we really shouldn't…we need to get to the hospital."

"No, we really should," he answered as he backed her against the wall, his hands sliding up across her stomach, and then he cupped her breasts with his thumbs ghosting over her sensitive nipples. She shivered at his touch leaning her head back against the wall.

"We don't know what tomorrow will bring, but we are here and now and I know that I love you. Nothing is going to stop me from showing you how much I love you and need you right now in my life." Draco's silvery eyes glowed with passion.

Hermione moaned at the surge of emotions and lust that roared through her body. Draco lifted her up in his arms and walked to their bedroom. He gently set her down on the bed. Every touch bound her closer to him, while his hands swept through her long hair, trailing down her sides and even when his warm breath blew across her neck pressing light kisses. These moments of gentle touches, caresses and lovemaking brought some semblance of meaning and order into their lives. Soon enough the reality and cruelty of hospitals, evil men and possible death would crash into their senses, but the sounds of pleasure surrounded them, blocking out the outside world. Coming together as only lovers can, they both cried out in pleasure.

Looking up at Draco, Hermione sighed as he smiled down at her. He fell to her side as his breathing returned to normal, and drew her into him. Wrapping his arms around her and kissing her once more, Hermione felt safe enough to fall asleep, and hoping she was too tired to remember any dreams.

* * *

Harry couldn't believe that this nightmare was not over yet. The burden of dealing with evil madmen out to cause as much havoc as possible, once again weighed heavy on his shoulders. The MacAteers were firmly behind this curse that was now threatening the lives of the children. Within a few hours he'd heard the results from the Unspeakables from the Department of Mysteries. Yes, this curse was full of dark magic. Yes, the curse was life threatening. No, they weren't sure yet how to stop it, but they were still working on a remedy that they hoped would cure the children. Harry almost laughed out loud when they said, "_It would be helpful if you could find the men who cast the curse and get more information from them about the curse."_

"No shite," Harry said out loud. He picked up his coffee mug and took a drink and immediately spit it back out, disgusted at how cold it had gotten. There was nothing worst than cold coffee or tea, especially when he was tired.

The hours had dragged by all night long. The many pictures from the crime scenes blurred together after looking at them over and over again, desperately looking for some clue that he could pass along to the Unspeakables. At one point he couldn't remember what he was even trying to look for. That was when he'd asked for a cup of hot and very black coffee.

"So Harry, have you decided yet?" Ron came and flopped down in the chair next to Harry's desk. His face was tired and pale making his freckles stand out even more than usual. His big hands rubbed across his face as he groaned.

"I hate to do it Ron, but we need Hermione here. She knows the MacAteers better than anyone else in our department. With her help we may be able to draw them out." Once again it would come down to having Hermione's help, even though she was involved deeply with one of the victims of the curse; but it couldn't be helped.

Harry leaned back in his chair closing his eyes. Staying up all night didn't help his thinking process. It also galled him knowing that he'd taken his wife and new baby home, left them, and then had spent the night at the ministry working on this case. Yes, this was his job, but dammit, the timing was all fucked up.

"What time is it?" Harry looked over at Ron. He shook his head when his friend didn't answer, but the snoring from him made him want to slap him. There was nothing more he wanted to do right now but go home, climb into bed, and sleep for a few days. Reaching into his desk he pulled out a vial of Pepperup Potion and drank it in one go. The steam coming out of his ears vibrated his whole body and woke him up. This would have to do for now.

He stood quickly drawing out his wand and pointed it at Ron, "Rennervate". Ron jumped awake his blue eyes looking around in bewilderment.

"Come on partner. We're going to the Leaky for breakfast then heading to Malfoy Manor," Harry said grabbing files and shoving them into his dragonhide briefcase that Hermione had given him for his last birthday. She said it made him look more official as a department head.

"Breakfast sounds good. Visiting Malfoy Manor not so much." Ron quipped standing up, still trying to fully rouse himself. He stretched his arms up high and yawned loudly.

"I'm buying if you come right now," Harry said trying not to say anything snarky to his best friend. He left his office not bothering to look back at Ron, but he heard footsteps behind him knowing food still was a motivating factor in Ron's life after all of these years.

* * *

Draco woke up when he heard Mipsy pop into their bedroom. Noticing the bright light streaming through the big windows he sat up and looked down at Hermione who was still in a deep sleep. She was sprawled out in the middle of the bed, having been cuddling up with him since their lovemaking. Her long, curly hair was spread out like a brown fan across the pillows. He hoped that this wouldn't wake her. She needed all the rest she could get right now. Mornings had not been the best time for Hermione lately, and now they knew why she had been waking up tired and nauseous. Excited as he was about the pregnancy, it was hard to focus on a new baby coming, when the child that had held his heart for three years was lying in a coma at St Mungos.

"Master Malfoy, sir, Mr. Potter is waiting in the drawing room in the East wing."

Draco's fuzzy head tried to comprehend what the elf had said, "Who Mipsy?"

The elf cleared his throat and said, "Mr. Harry Potter and Ron Weasley are down waiting to speak to you and Miss Hermione sir."

Draco tried not to be irritated at the two men who had interrupted their late morning nap and wanted to wake up Hermione. He figured that this was probably about the case and he wasn't sure he wanted to hear any news about it. He hoped though that it was good news and not them being the bearers of bad news.

Draco sauntered in wearing his sleep pants and nothing else. He smirked when he saw Ron grimace and then groan at spotting what he wore. "That's more of you than I ever hoped to see Malfoy."

"Close your eyes Weasley, or better yet just leave." Draco wasn't in the mood to hear the stupid git complain about his lack of clothes in his own home.

"Ok you two, enough. We're here to talk to Hermione," Harry said as his hand came up to stifle yet another yawn.

"Well, that's too bad. She's sound asleep and I'm not waking her up, especially after you kept her up so long last night Potter." He crossed his arms making sure to flex his biceps in the process.

"This is important Malfoy. We need her help if we're ever going to solve this case." Harry said sounding very frustrated.

"It's not happening. She's worn out and I'll tell her to contact you when she's ready." Draco stood his ground.

Harry's face turned red as he opened and closed his mouth, not sure how to answer back. "Malfoy, this is about saving your son. He's the one sitting at death's door."

Draco steamed inside knowing full well what the stakes were and didn't need Harry Potter reminding him. He felt his skin heat up, just as red as Potter's had been.

"Hermione may be the only one that can get in contact with the MacAteers." Ron blurted out, and then looked sheepishly over to Harry, who looked down at the floor while ruffling his own already disorderly hair.

Draco sighed and shook his head at the redhead's stupidity, "Now the truth comes out! You want to use Hermione as a pawn to draw them out. I'll not sacrifice her safety again like last time. There may not be a second chance to save her."

"Quit being stubborn. What about your son?" Harry yelled back at Draco.

"What about my other child that Hermione is pregnant with? I care about that child too. They both mean the world to me. I can't choose one over the other." Draco turned away from them to cool down and to hide his hurt and frustration that only Hermione had seen.

"What other baby?" Ron asked. "Hermione's going to have a baby?"

"Yes, you imbecile. That's what being pregnant means!" Draco yelled as he turned around to glare at his long time enemy raising his fists and wanting to throttle the man.

Harry quickly got in between the two men who both looked ready to start throwing punches.

"What is all of this yelling about?" Hermione asked as she came wandering into the drawing room. "I could hear you all the way upstairs which is a long way in this house." Draco only smirked as he listened to her.

Harry walked to her side; "We came to talk to you about the case and needing your help to contact the MacAteers. We've all come to a stand still, even the Unspeakables. If we're going to help the children, we need more information about this curse that is affecting them. You are the only one that can make the difference Hermione."

Draco noticed that Hermione blanched at his words and he hurried to her side and helped her over to the sofa. She fell onto the seat looking like the weight of the world was on her shoulders. He knew Hermione well now and knew what she was thinking. She would want to do whatever is possible to save the children. She had already done this once before to save them. People like her were always raising their hand to volunteer or in her case, sacrifice her life. Draco on the other hand knew he was selfish and didn't like sacrificing what belonged to him, especially his own skin. Even though every part of him was scared about losing Scorpius, there was no way that he was going to lose Hermione or this new baby. He would find a way to save them all.

Draco held Hermione's hand in his as she sat thinking. Surprisingly Harry and Ron stood silently too, not taking the chance of interrupting her thoughts. They also knew this woman well.

Hermione looked over at him with sadness in her eyes. Her hand gripped his once more as she spoke softly, "I'll do it Harry. What do I need to do to save Scorpius and the others?"

* * *

_Thanks so much for all of the words of kindness and support that you all left me concerning my friends who passed away. It meant so much to know that people care. Our move went well and my family is adjusting to a new home, friends and neighborhood. _

_I want to send my heart felt thanks to these reviewers who are still reading and reviewing Blinded and love the story. You gave me the encouragement to keep on writing. My shout-outs go to Phoenix Rebel, Green Eyed Lana Lee, Zahriah, Emmerstew, Calimocho, iluvmagic123, Honoria Granger, Guest Reviewers, Echowaves, .wonderland, roonO, hoshiakari7, and Frogster. _


	33. Chapter 33

Blinded Chapter 33

* * *

**_Last time: _**

_Harry walked to her side; "We came to talk to you about the case and needing your help to contact the MacAteers. We've all come to a stand still, even the Unspeakables. If we're going to help the children, we need more information about this curse that is affecting them. You are the only one that can make the difference Hermione."... Hermione looked over at him with sadness in her eyes. Her hand gripped his once more as she spoke softly, "I'll do it Harry. What do I need to do to save Scorpius and the others?"_

Draco pulled her to him, "No Hermione! You can't do this. The last time you almost died. Think about the baby you're carrying."

Her lips quivered as she fought back the tears, "Draco, I'm thinking about your first baby that is lying in a hospital bed right now fighting for his life. He needs me. He needs us to do whatever we can to find the MacAteers."

"You know they'll set another trap. They won't stop until you're dead." Draco tried to reason with her, his eyes having a haunted look.

Hermione rose from her seat, "That's the chance I'll have to take, but we can't sit around doing nothing. They'll all die Draco," she said as she pinned him with her eyes.

He froze at her words. The sadness tore at his chest, as he knew she told the truth. If nothing were done, none of the children would make it past a few more days. He felt so torn between the people that he loved. How could he protect all of them? They were literally asking him to sacrifice one child for the other, or Hermione for Scorpius? How in Merlin's name was a man to decide who should be more important to him?

Draco stood and looked over to Harry, who looked more somber than he had when he'd first arrived. The man had to be having the same feelings that were running through Draco's heart and mind. He had a wife he loved and children he'd die for.

"Where ever she goes, I'm going with her this time. She'll not be going alone." Draco crossed his arms over his chest. "There will be no arguments from any of you…including you." His arms reached out to pull Hermione to him as if this action alone could keep her safe.

Harry nodded in affirmation, "Fine. We need to go to the ministry for any updates from the Unspeakables. Then we need to send out a message to the MacAteers."

Draco could feel Hermione shiver in his arms, and hoped she didn't sense his own body shaking a little at what would needed to be done.

* * *

None of them spoke as they entered the ministry. This wasn't what they really wanted to do. It wasn't something that they had ever dreamed they'd have to do, but they knew it was something that they must do. They had to challenge the MacAteers enough to get them to come out of hiding. If they ever hoped to find out what curse was killing the children they needed to have their enemy here.

Hermione grabbed a scroll, a quill, and a pot of ink. Bending over the desk, she wrote out a note that Draco could only get a few glimpses of while standing behind her. He wanted to see what she was writing, and maybe make her change her mind about what she in all likelihood was writing to the scum who had once again interrupted their lives. He glanced up to see Potter pacing like he always did, and Ron staring at the wall like he had no idea what was going on. Nothing ever changed did it? Then there was his Hermione. She never changed either. She was always the one who had the ideas and carried them through to the fullest. Hermione would once again be the one to save the day…but at what price?

"Ronald, would you please go retrieve a ministry owl? I want to get this sent right away." Hermione looked up, shaking her hand out from writing so fast.

"Harry, we need to put a trace on the owl before we send this message. They might not want to respond, but even so, we can follow the trace and go to them."

Draco turned her around to face him, and put his hand out, "I'd like to see your letter to them."

"No. It's better not that anyone else read what I had to say." Hermione held the scroll close to her, her arms forming an X.

Draco tried not to roll his eyes or let his anger explode, "No? I think I have every right to read what you put in that letter."

"For once, I agree with Malfoy. Anyhow, with me being in charge of the Auror department, that letter is part of this investigation." His hand shot out towards Hermione, "So hand it over!"

Hermione dropped into the chair and shook her head, "Don't you two understand? If I let you read this, you both will make me tear it up and write something else."

Draco stood over her with his mouth set in a hard line, "You are one of the most stubborn woman I've ever met in my life. If you know I'd tear up the letter, then whatever you wrote must be something bad."

The two lovers glared at each other in a challenging way. Neither one looked like they were willing to move an inch. Draco stood with his jaw clenched, while Hermione's cheeks turned red from gritting her teeth so hard.

"Accio letter," Harry said quietly as the letter came sailing into his hand.

"Harry!" Hermione yelled at him and tried rushing to get the letter back, but she rebounded off of the shield that he'd put up around himself.

"Good one Potter," Draco said with a plastered on smile. Harry nodded back at him while still reading the letter.

Harry reached through his shield and pulled Draco through, "Here, you need to read this." Hermione's eyes sent daggers to both men as she glowered at them. Her face got redder as each second ticked by.

Draco couldn't believe what he was reading. His eyes shot up and his brows furrowed looking at his fiancé. His hands grasped the scroll in a tight grip.

"Are you truly serious? Really?" His voice yelled at her across the room.

Ron came through the door and immediately noticed the tension in the room.

"What did I miss?" he asked as he held a ministry owl on his arm.

"Listen to this," Draco said as he began to read the letter out loud…

**_"To the MacAteers; specifically Connell MacAteer. I know whom you really want. You must give us the counter curse to what ever is killing the children. They have done nothing to you and it's time to leave them out of this. If you come or send the counter curse, I am yours. I will come willingly in place of the children. If any of the children die, the whole of our Auror force will come after you. _**

**_There will be no place to hide; this I promise you. It's time to end this game we've been playing for so many years. I will give you two hours from receiving this letter to respond back to me. If I don't hear from you, your time is up. You will not be getting any second chances at me, or at getting your revenge. There will be no mercy whatsoever. _**

**_~Hermione Jean Granger_**

"Woman! Have you lost your fucking mind?" Draco shouted at her.

Ron and Harry stood speechless as they watched what was playing out between Draco and Hermione. Draco was glad that they were not interfering, because he was more than likely to punch one of them instead of screaming and pounding his fists against the wall. He wanted to hurt someone; anyone would do. Even one of Hermione's friends if they got in his way.

Hermione stood staring at him as if she were watching a play. How could she want to do this? How could she just sacrifice herself like this when she had so much to live for?

"Hermione? Why?" Draco couldn't say much more as he tried to temper the rage that was coursing through him. He closed his eyes so he didn't have to look at her while he was still so angry.

His eyes opened as a cold hand smoothed up his cheek. He knew her touch instantly, as well as he knew his name. She gently pulled his ridged body against hers.

"It's not what you are assuming, " she said in a soft voice, " It'll not be like last time where they planned the whole time to take me. This time we will have it all planned out."

All three men stood still as they listened to the woman who had been so important in all of their lives. They all trusted her and knew they needed to give her the chance to explain.

Her eyes blazed with fire, "It's our turn to set the trap. I have no intention going anywhere with them. We'll draw them in, trap them and then haul them into the ministry. Then we'll take, yes I said take, the information from them."

"Blimely! That's our brilliant Hermione." Ron said brightly, while Draco and Hermione both turned to stare at him. Draco wanted to remind him that she didn't belong to him anymore, but before he could Hermione turned him back towards her.

"I haven't lost my mind, and I don't like you insinuating that I have," she patted his cheek and then gave him a quick kiss. "How soon do you think we'll hear back from them Harry?"

* * *

Draco sat by Scorpius's side. He watched his small chest rise and fall with a slow rhythm. He couldn't believe he was back here at St Mungos once again hoping and praying that a loved one wouldn't die. His hand reached out to smooth down the tiny curls that lay lackluster around his face. They had come through so much, to only be back here in such a sad place.

Hearing the door open he stood up to see Hermione walk in. "The owl was sent thirty minutes ago, but nothing has returned."

She walked up next to the bed where the tiny boy lay. Leaning over the bedrail, she kissed his forehead and looked down on him a frown crossing her face.

"Draco, this is going to work," she said still staring down at Scorp. She stuck her hand behind her back and waggled it, and he grinned grabbing ahold of it.

Draco's arms went around her middle as he pulled her up against his chest. "Before we do anything else, I want you checked again to make sure the baby is OK."

She twirled around in his arms and looked up at him in surprise, "What for? We just saw an early scan of the baby not 48 hours ago. I'm sure our baby is dealing just fine with all of this stress." Hermione smiled up at him her eyes searching his face.

"Please? Do this for me? I want to reassure myself that both of my babies are breathing still and have beating hearts." Draco pleaded with his puppy dog eyes he used when he really wanted something from her.

Her laughter filled the room, "Fine. I'll have another scan done, but we should probably do it now before the excitement begins."

"You really think this thing you are about to do is exciting? Maybe you have lost your mind Granger." He winked at her while her mouth opened in protest.

"Come on you, and no more calling me crazy, or I'll show you what I really look like when I am crazy. You might want to ask Ron about what 'Crazy Hermione ' looks like," she said as she gave Scorpius a parting kiss and then trailed her fingers along Draco's back as she sauntered out the door. Damn! Now she had his curiosity up and he'd be forced to converse with Weasley.

* * *

Lucky for them Healer Montgomery was on duty. After explaining about their situation, she gladly agreed to do another scan for the couple.

Neither one of them were as nervous this time since they knew there really was a baby growing there. But the anticipation of making sure everything was all right kept some tension in the room.

As like the first time, Healer Montgomery waved her wand over Hermione's abdomen and her skin turned the beautiful pink color. Draco watched Hermione as she lay on the bed biting at her lip. He knew she wanted to ask something but was hesitant, until she looked up at Draco and he nodded his head.

"I know that you said in four weeks we could do the scan to hear the heartbeat, but is there any way that you could perform it right now?" Draco could have predicted that she was going to ask that question, because if she hadn't, he was going to ask the same thing.

The healer looked between Draco and Hermione and grinned, "Yes, let's give it a go." Raising her wand again, she spoke another spell that produced a glowing circle around Hermione's stomach. They held hands tightly as they waited for any sound and then they heard a tiny beating sound. Draco beamed at once having gone through this when he and Astoria were pregnant with Scorpius.

"Oh my! Draco that's our baby!" Hermione squealed with happiness. "This makes it so real."

Draco was glad to hear those words from her. This was exactly the scenario he'd hoped for. Maybe this would make her be extra careful with the new mission she was setting out to fulfill.

"Hi little guy. We love you already," Draco said to the baby as they heard the heartbeat increase in speed.

"Maybe, " Hermione said, "Our little girl is happy to hear how excited we are about her."

Healer Montgomery chortled as she listened to the joyful couple. "You have a little under seven months to debate about the sex of the baby, unless you want to find out early in a few months."

"Yes!" Both Hermione and Draco said at the same time.

"Then we will plan on it. Have you heard enough?" Healer Montgomery asked.

Hermione sighed, "I don't think I'd ever get tired of listening to that beautiful sound. Yes, we're done, right Draco?"

He nodded, "We have somewhere else we need to get to." He didn't think he could love Hermione anymore than he did at this moment. The spell faded out and Draco helped her sit up. Putting his hand on her stomach he leaned in, "This is what we're fighting for."

"Yes, we are," she said putting her hand on top of his.

Thanking the healer they left the room hand in hand. Looking up they saw Harry running down the hallway with the receptionist right behind reprimanding him about disturbing patients.

Draco heard Hermione take a deep breath next to him, while he felt like he could hardly breath not wanting to hear what Harry had to say.

"Our owl came back with an answer," Harry said as he jammed his hands into his pockets, "You might not like what the MacAteers had to say."

* * *

_I know, another evil cliffy, but I couldn't help myself. Things have been busy at work, so I'm sorry this chapter is late coming out. I also almost have another chapter ready to post for my story __**Living, (Snamione) **__which has been neglected for several months because of severe writer's block. So if you are following that story, you'll see an update soon. I'm also itching to start publishing my new Fredmione story that I've started writing, but I wanted to finish one of these other stories first, but just when you think you are almost done, something else comes up. What do you think? Is anyone interested in a new Fredmione story? If there is enough interest, I'll go ahead and start posting that story. Let me know in your comments. _

_Also, have you gone onto Pottermore and found what your Patronus is? I did and mine was a White Stallion. What was yours? Thanks again for all of you that are reading and reviewing and I'd love to hear back from more of you. Please just leave a tiny review and make my day!_


	34. Chapter 34

Blinded Chapter 34

Hermione sat on the edge of their bed lacing up her combat boots. She was dressed all in black from her head to her feet. She wore a black knit cap that kept her long, brown, curly hair covered. The rest of her clothing was made from dragonhide that would help protect her from most curses. She turned around when she heard movement behind her. Draco stood there leaning up against the door with his arms crossed and a worried look on his face.

"So, are you ready?" Hermione said to him casually as if they were only getting ready to go out shopping.

"Am I ready to go and put my future wife and unborn child in danger? No I'm not." Draco answered bluntly. His eyes were hard and cold, and his attitude still unbending concerning this mission they were about to go on.

Hermione rose from the bed and walked over to him. She put her hands on his chest and smoothed her way up to where his hair was sticking out of his cap and curling a little at the back because of it's now longer length. With everything else that had been going on, he hadn't had time for a trim, among other things.

"I told you, we've got this. They won't know what hit them." Hermione said with confidence.

Draco looked at her not feeling as self-assured as she was sounding. He could see the truth written on her face, the outward courage hiding the fear hidden underneath. The dark circles under her eyes showed she hadn't been sleeping. To be honest, neither had he as his worries ran from Hermione, to Scorpius, to the new baby, and then back again to Hermione and then the children again. The never-ending cycle in his mind made him feel he was going barmy.

"We have this all planned out with all of the Aurors and Hit Wizards in on it. Nothing will happen this time." Hermione looked at him, but his eyes didn't want to meet hers, as he knew the doubt was showing. After everything that had happened, he knew that the unthinkable could and had already occurred. When was a little bloody luck going to be on their side?

A knock at their bedroom door broke the quiet in the room. Harry poked his head in, "Are you two ready?" The head of the team was also dressed entirely in black, as would all of the members of their party going out on this mission.

"Yes, Harry, we're almost ready, she answered softly.

Hermione left Draco's side to grab her wand and put it in her holster. Then she took her small switchblade and tucked it away in a holder in her left pants pocket and then stuffed a longer knife in her knee-high combat boots. Draco noticed Harry grinning as he watched her arm herself. Personally Draco had only his wands, one for each hand with holsters on both sides of his body. He wasn't as comfortable with Muggle weapons as Hermione and Harry were. They had decided to man as many of their people with Muggle weapons, including grenades, to take the MacAteers by surprise. This would put them at an advantage over the Irish family. Luckily the ministry had been training their elite fighters for the past several years how to fight both styles Wizarding and Muggle. It wasn't often they used both, but in this case it was needed.

"Are you coming Draco?" Hermione asked looking back at him.

He nodded his head at her as she tried to give him a smile. The sadness Draco felt from what they were doing, and the danger his family was in, hung between them. She put her hand out towards him motioning with her fingers to come. He reluctantly moved to her and grabbed her hand giving it a squeeze as they left their bedroom. Draco hoping they'd both be coming back together in a few hours victorious.

* * *

Hermione knew how unhappy Draco had been since this new plan had been outlined. He had stopped saying how he didn't want her to go and words had been replaced by silence and harsh looks. It reminded her a little of their old school days when he looked at her like she smelled bad. She was done arguing with him about why this needed to happen and now. The children, his own son included, didn't have much time left. It wasn't that he didn't love Scorpius, but more that in his helplessness with the whole situation letting her go to be used as a sacrificial lamb made the whole situation that much worse. Instead of just the possibility of losing Scorpius, he could also lose Hermione and the new baby all in one stroke of bad luck. Draco was a proud man, so she knew he wouldn't go on bended knee and beg her not to do this. When it came to her job he knew that she would do all things possible to solve this case and save the children.

Hermione looked at Draco leaning against the wall as Harry gave orders to some of the hit wizards. The black knit cap he wore covered his well-known platinum blond hair, but his height and sharp, chiseled looks made him stand out in the room. The harsh look on his face reflected his bad mood. It wasn't good to go into battle being this distracted. She knew what they needed to do before they left for their rendezvous with the MacAteers.

She startled him as she put her hand on his arm, "Draco, let's go to the hospital and see Scorp before we go."

"Is there time?" Draco asked his shoulders slumping.

"I think we need to make the time."

Draco lifted up her chin to meet her eyes, "Why Hermione? You didn't feel this way earlier. What changed your mind?'

Hermione had many reasons, but she didn't want to say them out loud to a room full of people that would soon be fighting the MacAteer clan. None of them needed to hear her many doubts and fears. They didn't need to know how scared she was that she wouldn't return tonight. She wasn't sure the child in her body would ever get the chance to grow big and strong until she gave birth to it. She was worried that even if they all made it through the fighting, Scorpius and all of the children would die before they could help them. Finally, her greatest fear was for the man who stood in front of her. What if Draco was killed trying to protect her? She knew there were no guarantees in life and this had been proven true again and again. Still, she was one of the leaders of the mission and needed to show she had faith in what they were doing. She hated to lie to anyone, but right now she needed to stretch the truth regardless of how she truly felt.

"It will make me feel better seeing Scorpius one more time before we leave." She hoped her face didn't show her true feelings. "I need to keep his face in my mind and remember whom we are fighting for."

"Fine. You are right." His face showed no emotion, which worried her. He was acting much like he had through their school years. He was a Malfoy after all and knew when and how to turn off his emotions. He really wasn't this cold inside, she knew better. The stoic look on his face said it all as he set his lips in a hard line.

"Harry, we'll meet you back here thirty minutes." Hermione stepped around Draco and picked up a large backpack. "We are going to check on Scorp before we go."

Harry nodded his head, "That'll be fine. It will give us just enough time for us to gather the rest of our weapons and distribute them." Hermione watched Draco leave the room with all eyes watching him.

"He's not doing well is he?" Harry asked frowning.

"I don't want to talk about it right now. He'll do what he needs to when it's time."

"Hermione, we all have to be mentally there or some of us won't make it back." Harry's anxiety showed in his countenance and his words.

"I promise you Harry, he'll be ready; in fact more than ready to meet these bastards again." Hermione gave him a frosty look. "Don't you ever doubt Draco or me. We have more at stake here than any other person in this room going out to fight tonight."

With that Hermione rushed out the door leaving a bewildered Harry behind.

* * *

Hermione walked into the quiet hospital room. Each child had been given their own room so family members could grieve in private for their dying children. Draco sat by Scorpius's bedside holding his small hand in his. His thumb traced patterns on the back of his hands. He didn't turn as she entered the room, his head still downcast.

She walked to his side placing her hands on his shoulders, massaging them. He lifted his head and rotated his neck back and forth to get out the kinks. Neither one said a word as she tried to calm his body and soul before they had to leave.

"The healer said he's still the same. He's not better or worst." Draco kept staring down at his young son, so pale and small lying in the large bed.

"He'll be…" Hermione started to say but was cut off by Draco.

"Don't say he'll be fine." His voice was harsh, "Neither you, nor I or the healers know if that is true." He stood up to face her grabbing on to her shoulders.

"We are here right now because you don't think he'll still be alive when we get back? Am I right?" Draco's eyes looked wild with grief. "Don't lie to me Hermione. If you love me be honest."

Her eyes flooded with tears, "Yes, Draco. I'm worried that we might not make it back here alive tonight. I'm scared that Scorpius will die before we figure out to help him and the other children." Her words were now coming out in sobs, too many emotions running through her to hold back in front of the man she loved. "I'm scared that this baby I'm carrying will never get a chance to live. The nightmare running through my mind shows Harry, Ron, Ginny and her boys also dead."

Her hands came up to brush her tears away as she tried to stop crying, "What choice do we have Draco? The MacAteers haven't given us any other choice. We go and fight them and find out what they did to the children."

Draco stood silently letting her vent and get it all out before they left.

"You have to promise me something though," Hermione said, "Before you think that this mission is doomed from the start, I need you to wait and see what Harry and I have planned out. We've kept it a secret from everyone, even Kingsley Shacklebolt doesn't know." Her hands went up to smooth along his high cheekbones making sure he was looking at her. "I need you to put your faith in me and believe that we can be successful tonight. Out of all of us going, I need you to believe in me. I don't give a damn what anyone else thinks, but please…show me that you believe I can do this."

She held her breath as she waited for Draco's answer. Without warning his arms came out to pull her into his embrace. "Yes. Merlin, if anyone can do this it's you Hermione." Hope surged through her heart at hearing his words. This would get her through the next few hours. This was all that she needed; the person she loved most in the world to believe in her.

* * *

Back at the ministry all fifty-five team members gathered around Harry and Hermione. It was the elite of the Hit Wizards and the Auror Unit they had invited to go on this mission. They all knew what they would be facing. Many of them had been on the earlier missions and seen their colleagues murdered and witnessed the hideous things done to their bodies. Some had been there when they had gone and rescued Hermione that dark night. None of them had backed away from this new mission that was for sure to be more of a challenge than last time. This time they clearly knew what to fear. They didn't have to guess; they already knew what could be their fates having seen firsthand the destruction the MacAteers could bring upon people.

Harry stepped up first; "Many of you have been wondering what secret plan we've put into place for this mission. We've kept it a secret on purpose so no leaks could get out." He looked very much a man in charge and a respected leader. His hands were clasped behind his back as he walked around the circle of wizards and witches listening intently to every word.

"We are pulling a page out of Alastor Moody's plan book used many years ago. Actually, we found out later this had all been Professor Dumbledore's idea. How many of you have heard about The Battle of the Seven Potters?"

Ron made a choking sound from where he stood. "Don't tell me…Polyjuice Potion again?"

Hermione stepped up next, "Yes, Ronald, Polyjuice Potion. The MacAteers are expecting me to come out of hiding so they can attack me. We all know this. But if there is more than one of me, this will confuse them enough to sway things in our favor."

"You see," Harry continued with his story glaring over at Ron, "The Order of the Phoenix needed to help me escape from my cousin's house. They knew that Voldemort and his Death Eaters knew about the escape plan, but they didn't know about how I'd be escaping."

Hermione looked over at Draco who stood there with his mouth hanging open in disbelief.

"Basically, those who were Polyjuiced to look like me were the decoys. There were seven Harry Potters so the Death Eaters didn't know who to go after. They didn't want me dead, so we knew it would also protect many of us." Harry finished his story.

"Overall it was a bloody good plan. The Dark Lord was furious when they all came back without you Potter. We paid dearly for it too. So thank you for that," Draco said with a smirk.

"You're so welcome Malfoy," Harry grinned back at him.

"So there will be many of you taking the Polyjuice Potion tonight and there will be many Hermione Grangers showing up to face down the MacAteers." An Auror walked up to Hermione and opened up a wooden case. Hermione brought out a small gray bottle and held it up in her hand.

"I'm not sure how much you know about this potion, but it can last anywhere from ten minutes to twelve hours."

"What if it doesn't last long enough during the battle? Then you'll be in more danger again?" One of the Auror's asked the question that many of them were thinking.

"We've already planned for this contingency. Depending upon who brewed it and how good of a job they did makes the difference. Say a fourteen year old vs. an adult potioneer brewing the potion, you'd find the younger person's potion lasting no more than thirty minutes. The older Potion Master's Polyjuice would likely last up to eleven or twelve hours."

"So who brewed the potion Hermione?" Draco asked with a grim look on his face.

"There are several Potion Masters that work for The Department of Mysteries that made and tested this batch. They've assured us that this potion will last at least fourteen if, not fifteen hours. That will be plenty of time for us to accomplish what we need to do. All it needs is something from me." She reached into her jacket pocket and pulled out a baggie. "This is hair from my brush and one hair will be added to each vial."

"Wait, " Ron said, "Who is going to be you?"

"I want to know that too. I'm not thrilled that any of these blokes would be touching your body parts." Draco said in his whiny voice glaring at all of the men standing around. None of them would look straight at Draco in fear of pissing him off even more.

"Well, thank the Gods that there are enough women here in our ranks, if they are willing to step up and do their part." Harry walked over to stand next to Hermione as he looked over the women in the circle.

Hermione could see that he was trying to make eye contact with each and every one of them. Amazingly, every single one of them looked straight back at Harry without flinching. One by one they stepped forward and said they would help. This made Hermione smile at the courage of the women who were willing to put themselves in more danger than before they'd set foot in this room. Altogether there were fifteen women who would be taking the potion.

"Now, if all of the gents would please leave the room, we women will be 'changing' into our new clothes and persona so to speak." Hermione smiled at the witches who were standing so bravely around her.

As the wizards were all starting to leave Hermione called out, "Draco, come here please." He turned around and walked back to her. She reached up to pull off her engagement ring and held it out to him. "Unfortunately I can't give all of them a ring like this and I would stand out with it left on."

She could see the rush of emotion that crossed his face. He reached out and took the ring, unzipped a jacket pocket, and zipped it up again quickly. "I don't like seeing you without that ring on your finger." His eyes narrowed at her while clenching his jaws. She knew he wanted to say more, but was trying to trust her judgment in this plan.

"In less than twelve hours you can put it back on my finger where it belongs," she smiled up at him. He grabbed her, capturing her lips in an intoxicating kiss that lasted long enough to make her breathless.

He let her go and she swayed back a step, "There will be more of that in twelve hours too." Draco beamed at her and left the room. One of the women giggled and she couldn't help smiling.

Hermione focused back on what they were doing and handed out the bottle of Polyjuice. "You'll see it has a golden color that will change slightly once my hair is added. Take off your clothes before you change though." She turned back around making sure that there was a locking charm on the door where all of the men had left earlier.

Soon there were sixteen Hermiones' standing around the room staring down at their new figures. Next to each witch was a bag of clothes in Hermione's size, including new bras and knickers for those who needed them due to size discrepancies.

She saw one witch close by pick up the new bra to put it on. "Gods Hermione," she saw the witch cup her breasts and hold them up, "what I wouldn't give to have breasts this size."

A flush crept up her face,"Remember I'm pregnant, so they aren't normally this big. They just seem to be getting bigger week after week."

"I'm sure someone is happy about that, right?" the witch asked as her hands also glided over her slightly protruding stomach.

"Yes, now get dressed quickly before they barge in here wondering what we're doing." Hermione instructed in her bossiest tone she could muster as she watched the witches that seemed so fascinated with this experience.

"I take it you've done this a few times before," another witch said.

"Oh yes, several times that I wished I hadn't needed to. I was one of the Harry Potters and that felt very strange. Enough said." The laughter echoed around the room knowing what all of them were thinking about Hermione having male parts.

When they were all ready Hermione opened the door to a group of shocked males. "So Malfoy, is this all of your dreams coming true with a room full of Hermiones'?" Ron asked suggestively.

"No, you wanker. The real one is all I ever need." Draco was trying to ignore the redhead standing next to him. Ron should have realized that now was not the time to irritate Draco Malfoy.

The real Hermione stepped forward, "Here is the map and more instructions for each team. You'll have five minutes to study it, destroy it, and then we're off. We have foul, evil, criminals waiting to be taken down tonight."

* * *

**_Sorry for the very long wait for this chapter to come out. I had many things going on, a vacation, a weeklong sickness of staying in bed and other things in my life. I hope that this chapter makes up for it. Next chapter will be the real confrontation with the MacAteers. I honestly thought it would happen in this chapter, but I should know better than to tell these characters what to do. They decide what happens more than I do. Please tell me what you think about the plan they came up with. I know I borrowed the idea from JKR, but it fits so perfectly here I had to use it. _**


	35. Chapter 35

**_Trigger Warning: mention of rape, torture and mutilation-nothing explicit_**.

* * *

Blinded Chapter 35

The portkeys took all of them to an abandoned building in the middle of Muggle London. The smell of mildew scented the air in the decaying building. Dark stains were splattered on the floor. The old, gray paint was peeling from the walls. Draco stood in wonder staring at the cold, dark building that was the meeting place with the MacAteers. Why had this location been chosen? Only Hermione and Harry knew all of the logistics of the plan and weren't allowed to share all the details. This was to discourage any possible spies within the ministry leaking the plans to the MacAteers.

The "real" Hermione by his side whispered in his ear, "They'd only consent to meet with us in Muggle territory, though they don't realize how many traps and wards have been put into place ahead of time."

Draco shook his head in amazement, though he really shouldn't have been when it came to Hermione because she was usually ten steps ahead of everyone else. He was still feeling very uneasy about this whole plan. "I don't think you should even be near me when they get here. It will be a dead giveaway at who the real Hermione is."

"Already taken care of…look." Hermione's hands came up pointing out in front of her. Draco couldn't believe his eyes. Standing next to every Polyjuiced Hermione was a Polyjuiced Draco.

"When were you going to inform me that there were going to be as many Dracos' running around as there are Hermiones'?" Draco asked feeling a mix of amusement with a small tinge of annoyance.

"We knew from our last showdown with the MacAteers that you'd also have a target on your back after saving me." Hermione said quietly, "The more that we unbalance them from the start, the easier it'll be to take them down quickly."

"How do we know that they're not already here watching us?" Draco didn't want to be a continual pessimist, but the way their luck had been going lately it was hard not to think of every bad thing that could happen.

Hermione shook her head in the negative, "It can't happen. Their portkeys won't work unless ours was triggered first."

Draco smirked at her, "You always have been the best and the brightest for a reason." She winked at him as she walked away to the center of the huge, open warehouse. All eyes watched as she garnered everyone's attention by shooting off red sparks into the air.

"Our enemies will be here in approximately seven minutes. Their portkeys are keyed to trigger ten minutes after ours. We are hoping for dialogue, but have shields up and ready if they come in with wands blazing." Only the Half-bloods and Muggleborns laughed at her words in reference to the Muggle saying of 'running in with all guns blazing'.

Draco knew that the most important thing was to get the counter curse to what was killing the children. If they started attacking and killing off the MacAteers, especially Connall, there would be no hope or chance to save Scorp or any of the children. His head hurt thinking of all of the possibilities of what could happen tonight. The best-case scenario was they'd get the counter curse, go back and save all of the children, and then they'd all go home, alive to start their new life together as a family. Sadly, there were too many worst-case scenarios, such as ending up with no counter curse at all with Scorp dead along with all of the other cursed children. Also, along this line of thinking would see Hermione being killed along with their unborn child or her losing the baby. He couldn't shake the fear of it being him killed and leaving Hermione to carry on and raise the children on her own. He was no Gryffindor, and was totally self-serving and took care of himself first like any good Slytherin was trained to do. He did not want to die tonight. He had to make sure that Hermione remained safe. Draco wondered if it was possible for a human mind to implode from overthinking? If it could happen, then he was next in line from all of the extra work his brain was engaging in at the moment.

Looking around at all of the Hermiones' and Dracos', they all seemed as nervous as the real ones. Any minutes the portkeys would be bringing in their enemies without anyone knowing if they were coming to negotiate or fight. With one last look to his Hermione, he walked off to the right side of the group of decoys to get ready for whatever would happen soon. His stomach ached as he thought of how everything was coming down to the next few minutes. The building was cold, but it didn't stop the trickle of sweat that was slowly sliding down the side of his face. As he gripped his wand in his hand, he held it out in anticipation of the arrival of the MacAteers. It would be everything within him not to hex Connall MacAteer the second he portkeyed in. He had almost succeeded in killing Hermione at their last meeting. There was no way in hell he'd be giving him another chance.

The room seemed to spark as portkeys dropped the MacAteer clan into the building. There were forty-five people surrounding Connall and all had their wands out ready for action. At the same time, all of the Aurors had their wands pointed straight at the MacAteers. Their shields had been in place minutes before they'd gotten to the building. Soon it was apparent that the mistrust between the two groups was winning out over the negotiations.

"Everyone hold your fire," one of the Aurors disguised as Hermione cried out. "We must talk about terms of our meeting and find out how to help the children."

Connall MacAteer looked around the room, a huge sneer gracing his face. "Clever, very clever. Which one is the real Hermione Granger? She is the one I came to talk to, not a room full of decoys."

One of the Dracos' answered the man, "The last time we all met, you had one thing on your agenda and that was to kill Hermione. We felt it was best to protect her this time."

"What if I told you I didn't come to kill her?" Connall spoke as he looked at each Hermione as if trying to decipher which one was the real one. His tired, deep-set eyes were hard to read.

The Hermione farthest from the real one spoke next, "What if I said I didn't believe you? Why did you come then?"

Connall hesitated as he continued to eye all of the women who looked like Hermione Granger. Draco was trying not to show how much he was sweating and worried that Connall would figure out which one was the real Hermione. He had proven to be a smart man and he seemed to be carefully studying each and every woman in the room. Draco was also watching every MacAteer lackey that had come with Connall. He was waiting to see if they were setting themselves up to make a move while Connall distracted them. It took all of Draco's power not to stare at his Hermione because he knew his eyes would give away her true identity.

The Draco two feet in front of him shouted out, "Tell us how to save the children. Then we will negotiate with you. They are innocent and have nothing to do with the adults gathered here."

Connall seemed to laugh at what the man said. "Ha! The children are paying the price for their parent's sins. You Purebloods couldn't leave well enough alone could you?" The hatred starting pouring out of the man as he spat out his angry words, "Your Pureblood Supremacy instigated the Dark Lord Voldemort to start a war against everyyone not of pure...fucking... blood! He created a divide in all wizards that could never be fixed. This evil crossed the borders of countries and landed in our homeland of Ireland."

The dots started to connect as Connall shouted out his accusations. Draco knew that all of the children that had been kidnapped had parents that were Pureblood wizards and witches. Something had happened during the war involving this man and his family and now was taking out his hatred and anger against him and every other Pureblood.

"Your evil Lord sent men into our towns and villages seeking out the Muggleborns and Half-Bloods. They never stood a chance. Once they figured out the lineage of a family they were either spared or wiped out. The MacAteers were targeted as we were well known for having a Pureblood father who had married a Muggleborn."

Draco felt sick inside when he heard Connall's words. He'd heard of how whole families had been decimated whom Voldemort had considered not "Pure" enough. He'd just not realized the full extent The Death Eaters had gone to eradicate families like the one he was coincidentally starting with Hermione.

"Out of our family of eight boys and five girls, only three of us were able to get away, but not before we saw Death Eaters rape and kill our mum and sisters. Then they tortured and mutilated our father and brothers. With our cousins, we have been able to rise again as a force in Ireland." Connall's face was red with rage as he told his gut-wrenching story of yet another family whose lives Voldemort had ruined. Those who were listening tried hard not to feel sorry for the MacAteers, after all, they'd been the ones killing and kidnapping others. The good hearts of the Aurors ached as they learned of the deaths of innocent children by the Death Eaters. The madness wrought by the MacAteers could almost be explained because of what happened…almost.

"Children are innocent. They shouldn't be paying for the sins of the fathers, Purebloods or not. This doesn't give you the right to be judge and jury for what happened to your family." Draco cringed when the real Hermione spoke up. He was afraid her words would blow her cover. She was known for her fire and always standing up for those in need of a protector.

"Your government did nothing to punish this dark lord and his followers, so we have decided to do something about it." Connall started pacing around the room amongst his followers.

Draco's eyes never left Connall or his wand waving wildly about in the air. How long was this man going to keep on his wild rampage against Purebloods? Yes, the Polyjuice potion should last, but it had never been tested with this large of a group. This could be the time when it didn't last as long and then he and Hermione would both be sitting ducks amongst the crowd. It was almost like Connall knew and was being a huge windbag on purpose to help pass the time. Draco wanted to get in and out with this operation. Time was not their friend. Time was working against them and the dying children.

"What will you give me and my family in return for a cure for your children?" Connall finally stopped, addressing the closest Hermione, who coincidentally wasn't the real one. "How do I know if we hand over the counter-curse that you're not going to haul us away to your Azkaban or worse Avada all of us where we stand?"

No one spoke, because no one knew what to say, except Hermione and Harry. Draco hoped she wouldn't say anything and he had a feeling that maybe Connall was asking the question to draw out where the real Harry and Hermione were. He decided to shout out something, but before he could, another Draco answered first.

"What do you expect for kidnapping and cursing children? This really isn't a question that a criminal asks in your position? It looks to me that you are the one that should be willing to do what we say and not demanding your wants." Draco could tell that the fiery answer had come from Harry. There were times, even now, when the head Auror lost control and let his temper control his mouth.

Connall stood glaring, his jaw clenched and his fist holding his wand tight. He looked from one person to the other with hate showing in his eyes. "I'll not share anything about the curse unless I know my family will be protected."

Draco could feel his own temper start pushing to the surface. This was nonsense. If it had been the Death Eaters dealing with the MacAteers, they'd all be dead or seriously injured by now. They didn't play games and they would have dealt with them one way or another. The Dark Lord was all about finding the troublemakers and immediately taking care of said problem. Draco hated to admit that he wished the ministry had done the same thing here.

Without the MacAteers noticing, the Aurors had slowly started circling around the criminal family. They now were totally surrounded by Aurors. He knew the next few minutes would determine whether or not they found out about the curse and how to counter it. Always at the back of his mind was his young son's pale face as he lay silently in his hospital bed. He was ready to fight for him.

If only he could read Connall's mind and figure out what the barmy man was thinking. Draco almost slapped himself on the head. Oh, gods! What was wrong with him? One thing that Severus Snape had taught him, along with his dear crazy aunt Bella, was Legilimency and Occlumency. With the intense stress and pressure they'd been under, he'd forgotten the training he'd used often during the war, especially during his sixth year. He hadn't had the need to use it much the past years, but now it would make all the difference in the world between defeat or victory.

Draco moved a few feet to the left where he was almost standing directly in front of Connall. He first needed to see if the man was occluding his mind or if he could tell someone was even trying to use Legilimency on him. He remembered the basic steps he'd learned when first testing out the waters, so to say. As Connall was still raging on about the unfairness of what happened to his people and how he wouldn't budge with the counter curse, Draco started to gently enter his mind and have a look around. At first, it seemed like such a jumbled mess in there as Connall was ranting about one thing and then another. Finally Draco was able to delve in further to search for things that Connall wasn't blabbing about at the moment. Draco came to the conclusion that the man wasn't blocking or hiding anything from any possible intruders. Severus had taught him many ways that you could "see" if someone was blocking or shielding their memories.

Connall's mind was so easy to read he felt like he was being given a gift. Draco quickly found out that Connall had no plans to share the counter curse and he was waiting for the Polyjuice potion to wear out in order to attack Hermione again. He tried not growling out loud when he read that memory. He saw the plans that Connall had to attack and kill as many of the Aurors as possible, but especially Hermione, Harry and of course including Draco in the body count. He searched deeper to find something about the curse. He knew he needed to bring up that matter again, which would bring the counter curse directly up front in Connall's mind.

"Nothing is going to happen until you give us the counter curse. Enough with your talking, unless you are ready to share what we came for." Draco stood up tall and straight, chest out, and looking directly into the man's eyes.

"I'm not that reckless to give away the only trump card in my pocket. Do I look like a fool? I know what the counter curse is, but you'll not be receiving it until I get what I want." Connall almost stamped his foot as he ended, similar to a cheeky toddler not getting a treat at the end of a shopping trip.

Draco almost jumped out of his skin as he easily read what was running through the man's mind. His emotions were so volatile that everything was right out front. He effortlessly found the name of the curse, and yes, the counter curse. He saw the potion and the ingredients needed to make it. It wouldn't take more than twelve hours to brew and then it could be administered to all of the children. He wanted to leave at that moment and start brewing the counter curse. This needed to end. He needed to let Hermione know. His eyes moved rapidly from Connall to Harry and then to Hermione. He needed to make a decision now and knew that all Hell would break loose regardless of what he decided to do.

"Now!" Draco screamed as he fired at Connall. That had been the key word when the attack would happen if someone had found a way for them to win the battle with the MacAteers. The Auror's team altogether shot out spells, surprising the MacAteers who had become lax during their leader's long-winded speech. Draco ran across the room as he shot another spell at one of Connall's men. Rushing up next to Hermione he shouted into her ear amongst the chaos happening in the room, "I know the curse and the counter curse."

Hermione turned around her mouth dropped open with surprise, "What?" she screamed back as she shot off another hex towards the middle of the room.

"I'm a Legilimens. I read his mind. I know how to stop the curse and heal the children. I can save Scorp and the others with a potion." He couldn't help the tears that started forming in his eyes. A spell shot over his head as he ducked and shook his head to wake himself up from his thoughts.

Draco fought alongside Hermione as she rolled on the floor and shot out another spell, which brought down another MacAteer. "Go Draco. You need to leave and start working on the potion."

"I can't leave you here. I'm not going until this is finished." Draco jumped up; his wand arm came out and shot off a hex, while his other arm jutted behind him to smash into the face of a man sneaking behind them.

"No, go. You're the only one that knows the counter curse. You have to leave." She gave him a half smile and ran off in the direction of a struggle going on between two Aurors and five of the enemy.

His heart and mind struggled as he continued to fight, keeping his eyes constantly on Connall's position in the room. If he were injured or killed during this battle then no one else would know how to help the children. But, if he left and Hermione was hurt or killed would he ever be able to forgive himself? Draco watched the fighting that was going on around him and he looked one more time at Hermione as she cut down another man next to Connall. Then he spotted the door in the corner that was the only available exit. He rushed towards the door as he fired off one more spell at an unknown MacAteer. Seeing him fall, he prayed to any god that might be listening asking for protection for Hermione and the baby. His other child needed him now. This time he was the only one who could save the lives of the innocent, and it felt good to be on the side saving families, instead of breaking them apart

**_I'm so sorry that the battle and everything else didn't end in this chapter. Things just kept happening and I finally realized this chapter needed to end. I've been battling myself while writing this chapter, so I apologize for it being so long in-between chapters. I hope you let me know what you think. There will be more info about the curse and how to counter it and hopefully cute little Scorp will be more in the next chapter too. Thanks for your support! _**


	36. Chapter 36

Blinded Chapter 36

Draco ran rapidly through the hallways of St Mungo's. He headed towards the unit where the children were being held. He couldn't see anything in front of him except the door at the end of the hall. His chest was so tight his breathing was stifled from running fast as he paused to lean against the wall, hunched over with his hands on his knees. The sounds of his own, harsh wheezing rattled in his ears. He had to get this information to the healers so they could get started on the formula for the counter curse. Every second counted now that he finally knew how to save the children, he wasn't going to waste any time getting there. Taking a deep breath he kicked off from the wall and sprinted forward to where his son lay, his life hanging on by a thread. Draco grabbed at the door flinging it open, his eyes searching desperately for an adult. He called out for the main healer who came running from a side room. "Hello! Please help me! I know how to save the children." His voice trailed off in a whisper.

"Mr. Malfoy? What is wrong?" Her eyes were wide with concern at his outburst. "This isn't the place for shouting."

Draco stood in shock for a moment, hadn't she heard him? His mind was reeling with the information that it held, maybe he'd only thought he'd shouted out to the Healer. After everything that had happened this day, hell, this past year, who knew what was true and what wasn't? The days now only seemed like a dream as he and Hermione had worked tirelessly to first find the children and then searching for a cure for the sick children. Maybe he was only living in another one of his nightmares and he'd soon awaken and find that they still had no cure and no hope in sight to save Scorpius. His greatest fear was losing his son and Hermione. 'Loss' was becoming his new friend and he didn't like it at all. Potter had always grown up with loss in his life and seemed to be used to it, but for Draco, he hadn't experienced it until his late teens. He wanted to end this cycle, and now the moment had come with good luck back at the warehouse when he'd invaded Connall MacAteer's chaotic mind.

"I have it," he panted out. "I have the formula for the counter-curse to heal the children."

"Oh, Merlin! How?" Her countenance changed the second she heard his words. He now had the stern Healer's attention and excitement filled him as he realized this was not all a dream.

"Legilimency," was the only answer that came out of Draco's mouth as he tried hard to calm himself down. "Please, do you have a Pensieve that I could transfer the memory?" He looked around, his eyes urgently searching for something he knew probably wasn't there in the room. Even at St Mungo's Pensieves weren't commonplace items lying around for everyday use.

"Jordan! Go and get the Pensieve on the third floor and bring it here immediately." The healer found a small, glass bottle, and shoved it into Draco's shaking hands. Swiftly he put his wand up to his head and gently twirled the memory from his mind dropping it into the bottle, the silvery mist of memory sparkling with the hard-fought answer. The healer capped the bottle and held it carefully in her hands. Jordan ran in with the portable Pensieve in his hands setting it on the nearby table. Draco looked around nervously not sure if he should stay or head back to the warehouse to help in the fight against the MacAteers. Before he could think more about it, the healer grabbed his hand and pulled him into the Pensieve with her.

* * *

Hermione ducked as she saw another spell heading her way. Throwing up her shields once again was tiring her out. She'd never imagined that being pregnant and trying to do this job would be so harsh on her body and she was still in the first trimester. They needed to end this battle soon because she could feel her energy leaving her as she dodged spells left and right. When her energy was down, then her defenses suffered also. All it would take is one slip and that could be the end of her.

Harry ran by her side, "You're not looking good," His wand shot off a nasty hex to the nearest enemy who was currently aiming at both her and Harry. He didn't look any better, but she didn't point that out to him as a trickle of blood ran down the side of his face with his hair in total disarray.

"I'm fine," Hermione shouted back as she shielded both of them from a random curse shot across the room. "I just want this finished. Now shut up and help me." He only grinned at her response and continued doing what he did best, defending him and others against dark spells, evil wizards, and witches. It was almost comforting fighting alongside Harry again. He'd always been there since she'd entered the magical world. Who better to be with if her time on Earth was ending than Harry Potter?

Hermione knew from the tired looks on faces and smells wafting through the room from sweat and blood, that one side or the other would soon have to concede. She wasn't the only one running out of steam and making mistakes. War was ugly and people died; even smart people who in normal situations wouldn't make costly mistakes seemed to do exactly that.

Hermione jumped as she heard screams behind her and she shot off a wayward curse. A body fell to the floor with a thud at her feet and her eyes widened in surprise. "Oh Gods!" she yelled out as she realized whom she'd taken down.

"No!" Connall MacAteer screamed out in agony. He dropped to his knees taking the body of his wife into his arms. "Meredith, open your eyes darling." The tears were now falling down his face as he held the woman to his chest and gently rocked her in his arms. His sobs seemed to fill the room, echoing against the cement walls. "No, no, Meredith, don't leave me. I told you not to come. I told you…why…oh, Gods no."

His continued muttering to his wife hit Hermione to the core. This was one of Draco's nightmares that he'd been happening the past several weeks. He'd woken up one night screaming about her dying in his arms in battle.

Hermione started walking closer when Connall pulled out his wand and aimed it at her. "Don't come any closer. Keep your filthy hands off of my Meredith," he commanded as his hate filled eyes bore into her. "You don't deserve to be by her. You've wanted nothing but to destroy me and my family."

The fighting continued even as Meredith MacAteer went down. Hermione had not been surprised when she'd seen all of the MacAteer women coming to fight alongside their men. This truly was the final showdown with this family and both sides knew it. The tide was turning in the battle as the Aurors were coming out ahead. Many of the MacAteers were bound up and stupefied, their bodies lining the floors; no one knew how many were truly dead?

Hermione stood still as she watched to see what Connall would do, her wand ever at the ready. Though she felt sorry for Connall, she wasn't going to let her guard down now. The tiny baby growing inside of her needed protection, and this was the man that had wanted her dead for many years now.

"I know it's the real you, I can tell by looking in your eyes," Connall said as his words showed how tired he was. "I'm not going back to that fucking prison. You've won Hermione Granger, you've won."

Harry now stood by her side, his wand out ready to protect Hermione if needs be. "Connall it's over. Now put your wand down." His eyes never left the criminal's face as his commanding voice filled the room. Most people ran for cover when Harry Potter spoke in that tone, but Connall was too overcome with misery to remember who was standing over him.

"This isn't your fight Potter, it's between me and Hermione Granger." Connall's arm held strong as his wand stayed level with Hermione's chest. His other arm slowly lowered his dead wife to the ground, now forgotten in the midst of the standoff.

"When you included kidnapping children and killing Aurors in your personal fight, then yes, this is my fight too." Harry bravely stepped closer to Connall while pushing Hermione back. "There are currently twenty-five wands aimed right at you Connall MacAteer and you are hereby under arrest for kidnapping, child endangerment, use of illegal curses and of course murder."

Connall's eyes shifted around the room taking in the many Aurors surrounding him. His wand was still only aimed at Hermione and the longer he stared at her, the more agitated he became. "You know that you should be dead Hermione, just like my Meredith here turning cold and gray in my arms. Why should you get to live? Why should you get the chance to be happy when all you've ever done is take away my loved ones and my happiness?" Connall's words were not shouted out but almost said in a whisper, as his breathing was shallow from some curse that had struck home earlier from an unknown source.

"Connall, you know as well as I do that I'm not responsible for your unhappiness. You and your brother, cousins and other family members chose to commit the various crimes that you did. No one forced you to do that. You made that choice!" Hermione's face was reddening as she started shouting at the man. "All of these years you blamed only me when you should've looked in the mirror and blamed the real culprit. I refuse to take the blame for the downfall of the MacAteer family. That blame lies solely with you and your kin." She wanted to say so much more as she felt the frustration bubbling inside her gut.

"I hate you, Hermione Granger," Connall spit out, while blood dribbled out of his mouth and down the side of his face.

"Likewise, Connall MacAteer, I hate you equally if not more. Now drop your wand and let this be done…finally. There is a cell at Azkaban with your name on it just waiting for you." Hermione's eyes flashed with the fire of fury that was brewing deep inside of her.

"Never!" Connall shouted out. Before anyone realized what was happening, Connall's wand flipped towards his own head, "Avada Kadavra," he shouted out and fell limply next to his wife.

Hermione looked over at Harry, his face gone slack, his mouth slightly open, body unmoving, and color draining from his face as he stared wide-eyed at the now dead leader of the MacAteers. Hermione froze up to a point where she could hardly breathe, but then the shock slowly began to melt away.

Hermione let out a sudden sigh and opened her mouth to speak, but instantly snapped it shut. Gulping, and with a little more success she said something, "Is it really over?" She walked away and leaned against the wall, feeling light-headed and disoriented, while her mind began buzzing wondering where Draco was and how the children were doing.

Harry wiped the sweat from his brow, trying to go through everything that had just happened the past few minutes. Taking Hermione by the elbow he turned her towards the door, "I need to take you to St Mungo's and have you checked out, then we'll find Draco and check on Scorpius."

Harry gave orders for the prisoners to be taken straight away to Azkaban; he then issued other orders to take the dead bodies to the ministry morgue. Putting his arm around Hermione's shoulders he pulled her close, "It's over and done my friend, it's finally over. Let's go."

"Thank you, Harry," she sniffed as she felt the tears start falling, but she didn't stop them as they were well-earned tears.

* * *

Draco was pulled from the Pensieve after they'd watched the scenes from Draco and Connall's memories. He was horrified as he heard more about Connall's plans and his utter hatred for Hermione and the children, who were so lucky they were still alive. His chest hurt when he realized how deep the hatred stemmed inside of Connall. He also felt panicked when he realized he'd left Hermione there in the warehouse to battle with the man that wanted her dead. Now he was second-guessing himself about whether he'd made the right choice. In his mind he saw Hermione curled up on the ground, bloody and dying, calling out his name one last time.

"Mr. Malfoy, we need you to go down to the potions lab to supervise the making of this potion. I need to stay here with the children to monitor the children's symptoms." Draco stood in a daze as he struggled with what he should do, stay at the hospital and make the potion for the children or go back to the warehouse and fight to save Hermione and his unborn child?

"Mr. Malfoy, time is of the essence, you are the only one able to interpret the memories." The Healer's impatience was now showing and it was starting to irritate him. Gods he hated to be badgered when he was feeling torn about who needed saving most.

Harry and Hermione coming through the doors made up his mind for him. Hermione came running to him, tears running down her face as she jumped into his arms. "He's dead Draco. Connall MacAteer is finally gone."

Draco held her close to him as his comprehended her words. He twirled her around, and calming down feeling her body close to his. "The baby…are you fine?" His hand rested on the growing bump wishing he could feel that all was well with the new baby.

Hermione looked up at him, "I hope so. How is Scorp? Have they started making the counter curse?" Draco walked her over to where Scorpius lay, still in a coma, not looking any worse than he had hours before. His curls rested against his face, and Hermione reached out to smooth her hands through them.

"They need me down in the potions lab to work on the formula, but I want to stay here with you." Draco hung his head, resting it on top of hers, as his arms tightened around her shoulders.

"Go Draco. I'll be fine. I have Harry here with me." She pulled back to look him in the eyes, and gave him half a smile, "The children need you now. Scorp needs his dad to bring him back." Warmth spread through him at her answer. The love showed in her eyes for not only him but for his son, soon to be her son too.

"Are you sure?" he asked her while also looking over her head to meet Harry's eyes who only nodded his head at him They both looked like shite, but he knew that Hermione would be in good hands. Kissing her one more time he started to step away but turned back around, "I don't know how long this will take, but when you're done, promise me you'll send word about how you and the baby are doing?"

Smiling back she nodded, "Yes, I promise. Now go and be a hero."

"I love you, Hermione," Draco said on the way out the door.

* * *

Hermione waited nervously on the table for her own Healer to check on her baby. It had been hard telling Draco to go and work on the potion, while she wanted nothing more than to tell him to stay with her. She wanted him there holding her hand when she found out if the baby was fine. Instead, it was her best friend sitting next to her holding her hand as they waited.

"Thanks for staying here with me Harry. I know that Ginny and the boys want to see you." She truly felt guilty that she was keeping him here with her instead of going home to assure his own family that he was fine after the battle.

"I sent an owl to Ginny telling her I was well, scratched up a little, but alive. Anyhow, she's the one that told me to stay here with you and Draco until the children woke up." Harry gave her hand a gentle squeeze.

"Well then, make sure to thank her for us when you get home." She started nibbling her lip nervously as her hand rested protectively over her baby bump. How long would they have to wait? She knew that Draco wanted her to wait by Scorpius's side. They both had felt some guilt because they'd been so busy while Scorp had been in a coma, but had reasonably set it aside knowing what they'd been doing had been for Scorp's and the other children's benefit.

"Ms. Granger, it's a pleasure to see you back and unharmed." The Healer moved into the room to her side. "Shall we take a quick scan of the baby to make sure all's well?" Her cheerful mood was almost to the point of annoyance considering what they'd just been through and witnessed.

With her wand, she cast the charm at her stomach that would bring the baby into view. It was never less exciting each time she was able to view the child growing inside her. Harry also seemed to be enjoying looking at the baby.

"There is it's little heart still beating nice and strong. Oh look, it's waving at us." The baby indeed had its arm in the air waving it about and appearing to be communicating with them.

"I would say you are both doing fine Hermione. You just need to go home to bed and relax and take a few days off of work." She smiled at Hermione and Harry. "It brings back old times, right Mr. Potter?" She smiled at her friend the same way other woman had in the past and still did to a certain extent. She wondered if Ginny ever got tired of her husband being ogled by another woman?

"Oh yes, I've seen many scans like this the past few years. Can we see yet if it's a boy or girl?" Harry stood up to look at the scan more closely. "Sorry Hermione, this baby isn't showing us anything tonight." He cracked a smile at her.

The Healer laughed, "It may still be a few more weeks before that secret will be revealed. Now, Hermione let's set up another appointment in four weeks and then you can go." The Healer left the room leaving them alone.

Hermione didn't move off the table but threw her arm over her eyes bursting into tears, startling Harry so much he dropped back into his seat. He clasped her hand in his, "Oh, what's wrong? You and the baby are fine."

Hermione kept crying as she said, "Everything is not fine…Scorp is…still is danger and there is a lot of time before this baby is born and anything could go wrong."

Harry sat listening, not saying a word. His hand wiped away her tears, "You are so strong, Hermione. I know we've all been through a lot, but I have a good feeling that things are on an upswing. We don't have a lot of control over most things, but I have faith that Draco will make that potion and bring all of the children back." Even with Harry looking as tired and worn out as she felt with the dark circles under his eyes and bruised face, her best friend was there to comfort her. It had always been that way, her there for him and him standing by his side. She truly had missed him a lot during her years in France and now wished she hadn't let so much time go by without contacting him.

"You're right Harry," she sniffed and tried to give him a smile, "I need to stay strong for Draco. I can't imagine what would happen if Scorp didn't…"

"Don't say it," Harry said firmly helping her down off the table, "Your future son is a tough little guy and soon enough he'll be running around causing havoc with James and Albus."

"Thank you," she wrapped her arms around his waist. Neither one knew who was holding the other up at this point, but they wandered down the hall heading towards Scorpius Malfoy's bedside.

* * *

**_Thank you so much for still reading this story. This story has been incredibly hard knowing how I wanted to end the ordeal with the MacAteers. I re-wrote it about three times and wasn't happy with any of the endings until this one. There is still more to the story as readers have asked to see what happens to our couple and many have mentioned wanting me to include the wedding. So, there are still a few more chapters and I hope that you will hang in there with me. The rest of this story should be a lot easier to write. _**


	37. Chapter 37

Blinded Chapter 37

The minutes and the hours ticked by as Hermione sat by Scorpius's bedside waiting for him to wake. His even breathing was soothing to her soul as she thought of all that had happened in the past forty-eight hours. Draco had successfully made the potion to restore the children and administer the counter curse. One by one each child's coloring had improved and started waking up, all except for Scorpius. Draco had left an hour ago saying he needed some fresh air and a change of clothes. Hermione had only nodded to him, not knowing what else to say to the man she loved. She wanted to tell him that everything would be fine and soon Scorp would wake up. But, she knew as well as he did that maybe that wasn't necessarily going to be true in their case. There was always the chance that Scorp would never wake up. Gods forbid the ugly possibility of Scorpius slowly withering away and dying leaving a brokenhearted Draco and her of course. She smoothed her hand down his pale, cold cheek wishing he'd wake so she could see those dark gray eyes the color of his fathers.

"Oh, sweet Scorpius, please wake up. I don't think your father could handle losing you. I don't think my heart could either." She brought his little hand up to her lips and placed a soft, tender kiss on his palm. "Please little man, please wake up so we can talk about fire-breathing dragons, and flying on fast broomsticks on a hot, summer's night. I promise you that we'll read lots of books, at least four or five every night even if your father says it's time to go to sleep." Her words echoed in the small private hospital room as she held back the tears that were ready to flow. She was tired of the tears and the stress. Wasn't it time for them to have some happiness in their lives? Didn't they deserve to have what every other family that she knew had with their families? Her hand went to cover her mouth as she took a deep breath, stifling the agonizing sob that threatened to escape her. A familiar presence swept over her as a hand came down on her shoulder pulling her back into a large, solid chest.

"It's OK, love. You don't always have to stay so strong. I'm here for you and Scorp. It's time to let it go." It felt like a rope was being extended reeling her to safety after balancing precariously on the edge of a cliff.

Draco's words were the catalyst for the dam breaking on her emotions and she let the tears flow. Her sobs were stifled somewhat as Draco held her tight and let her crumble for a moment. She'd been so resilient and fierce as they'd hunted for the children, and then in searching for a way to save them after the malicious curse. She'd remained stoic even through the horrific battle that could have taken her life and that of her unborn child.

Several minutes later she was calmed down from Draco's continued soothing words and the soft backrub. She took a deep, shuddering breath and opened her eyes to look up at him, "I needed that I think."

"I know you did and not just because you're pregnant. I've pulled you into something the past several years that you probably wish you didn't have to be part of."

Hermione looked up at him with wide-eyed, "This whole thing was not your fault and don't you dare think that way." She was nose-to-nose as her fiery temper came out. "If anyone's to blame it's me for not capturing all of the MacAteers during the first go around they had with the law in France."

Draco grumbled something under his breath as his hands went up to her face tilting it to look up at him, "It wasn't your job to capture that entire clan on your own. For Merlin's sake, you can't believe…"

"Papa…I'm so thirsty." The tiny, scratchy voice interrupted their argument and they both turned towards the bed where Scorp had recently been lying so deathly quiet.

Draco's hands scooped Scorpius up in his arms and twirled him around the room. "Oh, son! You're going to be fine. Look, Hermione, he's going to be fine," he babbled with excitement mingled with shock.

He stopped long enough for Hermione to pepper kisses all over his face, which made Scorp start laughing. His laughter was music to their ears after such a long time of not hearing that sweet giggle. Soon their combined laughter brought in the healer and the assistant as they came running in stopping mid-way to survey what was causing the noise. All three of them, Draco, Hermione and Scorp were laughing and dancing while holding hands and circling around Scorp's hospital bed. The room was filled with happiness and no one presently there could deny what they were feeling.

"Oh! Scorpius is awake. That means that now all of the children have been healed from the curse." The healer came over to give hugs to all of them who in turn freely hugged her back. "I wasn't going to give up on this little guy. He's a fighter Draco." Her words were said with tears in her eyes, which made all of them become teary-eyed.

"He's a Malfoy, what can I say?" Draco's signature smirk was present as Hermione shook her head and playfully jabbed him in the ribs.

"I'm a cute Malfoy!" Scorpius chimed in smiling wide and pointing to himself.

"Yes, you are indeed," Hermione kissed his cheek, "You're also just as humble as your father."

"I'ma hummel," Scorpius said pointing to himself.

"I'm going to let you teach him all about what it means to be humble darling," Hermione said as she gave Scorp another hug.

The healer laughed, "How about I take Mr. Humble here and do one more check on him and then I'll leave your family alone to celebrate."

* * *

Harry poked his head into the hospital room to a wonderful sight. Scorpius was sitting up in bed and eating his supper with Draco and Hermione close by his side.

"Are you up for a visitor?" He walked over to the bed holding his hands behind his back.

"Uncle Harry, where's James and Albus?" Scorpius asked trying to look behind Harry's back.

"I'm here by myself right now. The boys are home getting ready for bed."

"Where are your hands?" Scorp was trying to look around him as he leaned almost all the way out of bed but was stopped by Draco's hands.

"My hands are holding a surprise Scorp. Would you be interested in knowing what it is?" Harry leaned back enough to still hide what he was holding.

"Yes, of course, I like surprises. Is it candy? I like candy. I like books too, right Herminee?" He looked up to his soon to be new, mum who gave him a thumbs up and a wink.

"Hmmm, I wonder if it's candy? I wonder if it's a book?" Harry looked up at the ceiling as if he also was trying to guess what he was holding.

"Potter, the suspense is killing me," Draco said dryly with a grin.

"Close your eyes Scorp and don't peek. Once you feel something in your hands you can open up your eyes."

"OK, just hurry. The supens is killing me too." Scorp closed his eyes tightly while Hermione tried hard not to laugh out-loud at Scorp mimicking Draco's words.

Harry brought out his surprise while Draco and Hermione's mouths opened with astonishment.

Scorpius started to laugh as he felt what was in his hands, "It's furry Uncle Harry. Can I open my eyes now?"

"Sure, see what I brought you."

Scorpius opened his eyes wide and almost screamed, "It's a…it's a…what is it?" All of the adults couldn't hold back their laughter and none of them could answer the little boy at first. Finally, after wiping the tears from her eyes from laughing so hard Hermione spoke.

"Scorp, it looks like you are the proud owner of a Pygmy Puff."

"Oh, joy," Draco said sarcastically giving a big sigh.

The purple Pygmy Puff started squeaking in Scorpius's hands. "Is it alive?" he gasped as he held it up to look at it more closely. He brought his finger out to poke it and it squeaked again.

"Yes, Scorp it is very much alive so you can't poke it like that. A Pygmy Puff is a miniature Puffskein. They don't like to be poked, but they do like to be cuddled gently. Don't ever squeeze it too hard or you'll hurt it." Hermione stopped talking suddenly when she realized she had been lecturing him.

Draco leaned over, "I love my Know-it-All witch." Hermione scowled at him crossing her arms in front of her with pretend disgust.

"Aunt Ginny used to have a Pygmy Puff named Arnold. She actually brought him to Hogwarts with her one year." Harry reached down to pet the poofy animal.

"Was that actually legal? I thought they were banned from Hogwarts being a Weasley product?" Draco asked.

"It was our sixth year, her fifth and she really didn't ask if she could bring him. She smuggled him onto the Hogwarts Express." Draco raised his eyebrows at Harry's reply, who only grinned back at him.

Harry walked out of the room and came back carrying a small cage and a bag of food. "Here is his little house with a fluffy bed for your furry pet and some food. Do you think you can be a big boy and take care of a pet?"

Scorp sat with his nose scrunched and bringing his fingers up to his mouth. Then his lips started trembling and he looked like he was going to cry, "What if I don't know how to take care if it? What if it dies?" His little face crumpled up with horror as he started to cry thinking about his new pet.

Draco reached over and rubbed his son's back, "I know you Scorp. You've always treated animals with kindness and I don't think you'll do anything differently with your new pet." His words seemed to stop the crying.

"Are you sure Papa?"

"I'm absolutely positive Scorp."

Scorpius's happy smile made all the adults sigh with relief. "What are you going to name your Pygmy Puff Scorp?" Hermione finally asked.

Scorp bit his lip, "Hmm, let me think…" They all sat anxiously waiting as the boy sat and sat tapping his lip in concentration. "I think I have an answer."

"Well…what are you going to name it?" Draco asked watching him intently.

"I think I will name him…Harry Potter." Scorpius beamed up at his Uncle Harry, while Draco snort laughed so hard Hermione smacked him on the arm.

Harry meanwhile stood with his lips pressed together trying not to laugh, "That's a great name Scorp. I think he'll really like that name. It's very popular right now."

"Should we get him a pair of glasses?" Draco asked with a snigger.

"That's a great idea, Papa!"

"Gods, you're incorrigible," Hermione mumbled under her breath looking at Draco.

Scorpius held him softly against his chest, "Harry, you are going to like living at my house. We're going to have lots of fun." His words only made the adults present smile even more.

* * *

The next day, Draco and Hermione were able to take Scorpius home after one more quick, final check up. Scorp was the last child affected by the curse to leave St Mungos. Walking into their house all together seemed liked a dream come true.

Scorp ran around singing, "I missed you house. I missed you house."

Hermione, with her whacked out hormones, could only stand there and cry as she watched Scorp running around out of control. Draco came up behind her putting his arms around her waist and laid his head on her shoulder. "Life is back to its normal, glorious chaos."

"I know. Isn't it wonderful?" She kept sobbing as he held her tight as they watched Scorpius holding "Harry Potter" and showing him his new home. They really didn't know yet if "Harry Potter" was a he or a she, but they'd have to find that out later after George inspected the Pygmy Puff when it got a little older.

Scorp dropped to the ground next to the large bookshelf, "See Harry, these are my books and we're going to read lots of books together." He then got up and walked into the dining area, "This is where we'll eat our breakfast and have snacks."

"You know, Uncle Harry isn't too bad of a fellow," Draco said as he swayed with her in his arms. "But, I think that we need to go out and buy a Kneazle for their kids and return the favor. What do you think?"

"Well, if we're going to buy one for Harry's household, we better not forget Ron. He loved Crookshanks so much." Hermione said with a chuckle.

"He did? I always had the impression he didn't like your cat."

"You are exactly right and that's why they both need one," Hermione said.

"Oh, my love you are cunning. I still think you would have made a fine Slytherin." He twirled her around in his arms so he could see her face.

"I think it's because I've been consorting with too many Slytherins and picked up on how to be shrewd, clever, and determined. Overall, your loyalty to me is one of your greatest qualities Draco."

"That means a lot to me, especially coming from a Gryffindor."

"I've always felt that we all show characteristics from all houses in our personalities. You were very brave in fighting the MacAteers and saving me." Hermione stood on her toes to kiss him, her lips pressing softly against his.

"I would have done anything to save you because I love you." Draco returned her kiss, drawing her even closer until they were pressed against each other.

Their long kiss was interrupted by a quiet voice, "Harry, that is called a kiss and Papa and Herminee do it a lot. I think that's why a baby is growing inside of my new mum. Don't tell anyone, but she's going to get really fat like Aunt Ginny."

"I beg your pardon?" Hermione looked down sternly at Scorpius. "I may not get fat and it's not nice to call people fat."

Scorpius stuck his trembling lip out, "I'm sorry Herminee. That's what James told me about his mum." His sad eyes looked down at his feet.

Hermione fell to her knees and hugged Scorp to her. "Oh sweetheart, it's Ok." She reached out and placed his small hand on her now expanding stomach. "Did you see that my belly is starting to poke out a little? That means that your baby brother or sister is growing inside of me. Pretty soon my belly will get even bigger, but that's because the baby will be growing bigger."

Scorp rubbed his hand on her stomach, "Are you sure there's really a baby inside of you?"

"I'm positive. How about the next time we go see the healer we take you with us? She'll show us a little picture of the baby and then you can see for yourself."

"Does the baby have the same color of hair as me and Papa?" Scorp asked looking up at Draco.

Hermione sighed, "Probably."

"Of course it will because it'll be a Malfoy, but it will probably be wild and curly too like Herminee's." Draco winked at Hermione who only grinned back at him.

Scorpius pulled Draco down next to where he and Hermione sat. "So, when are we getting married?"

"That, Scorp, is a very good question. I don't want to be waddling too terribly down the isle when I get married. So Draco?" Hermione tilted her head as she looked at the man she loved

"What do you think about this weekend?" Draco asked his eyes lighting up with mischief.

"This weekend? How in the world would we get a wedding pulled together in a weekend?"

"We actually have a secret weapon at our disposal," Draco said.

Hermione looked at him wondering what the secret mysterious weapon was. She bit her lip trying to think of who could help them. "I don't think it's Ginny since she just gave birth and I wouldn't ask that of her right now."

"You are so close Granger; so very close," Draco said teasing her. She actually liked it now when he called her by her last name. The venom of past years was gone in his tone and now replaced by playful banter.

Her face wrinkled in meditation and then she jumped up, "I know! Mrs. Weasley is who you're talking about." She smiled at him with her hands on her hips.

"Spot on, love!" Draco swatted her bum and she yelped with laughter.

Scorp leaned over to Draco, "Did she do something wrong to get a spanking?"

"Oh, no, she came up with the right answer." Scorp looked at him in puzzlement. Turning to Hermione Draco said, "What are you waiting for? Go floo call the woman."

Hermione jumped up heading towards the fireplace grabbing the floo powder. "Mrs. Weasley? Are you home?"

Molly's head came through, "Yes dear. What can I help you with?"

"Mrs. Weasley, how would you like to plan a wedding?"

"Oh, a wedding! I'd love to help. When are you thinking it'll be?" Molly came through to their living room sending a smile Draco and Scorp's way.

"How about this weekend?" Hermione asked shyly.

"Oh, Merlin's beard girl. Well…yes. Let's start planning." Molly reached out hugging Hermione while Draco sat back smugly watching the two women chatting excitedly about the upcoming wedding.

* * *

**_Well, there you go. I promised you that happy times were coming and here they are, How do you like having Scorpius back in the story? I missed the cute little guy and his humor. I especially liked how he named his new Pygmy Puff "Harry Potter". I had a few names I was thinking about, but Harry Potter was always my first choice. I promised several readers that I would write the wedding into the story and that's what I'm doing. I hope it will meet all of your expectations. Is there anything you want to see in the wedding or honeymoon? I would love to hear back from more readers as we are heading near the end of the story. Thanks so much to so many of you that have stayed with me and kept reading and reviewing. You're all so amazing to me. _**

**_If you haven't started reading them yet, I'm still writing my Snamione, "Living" and my Fredmione, "Playing with Granger". All of my stories are very different from each other, but I like all of them the same. I'll see you next time!_**


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